Is BJP MLA Kishor Barman the Newest Member of the Tripura Cabinet?

Agartala, July 3 (NationPress) -- The Governor of Tripura, Indra Sena Reddy Nallu, officiated the oath-taking ceremony for Kishor Barman, a new cabinet minister, at a modest event held at the Raj Bhavan. Barman, aged 45, marks his debut as an MLA and is affiliated with the ruling BJP.

The Tripura council of ministers consists of 12 members, including the Chief Minister, and with Barman's addition, the cabinet has achieved its complete composition.

Present at the swearing-in ceremony in the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan, located in the outskirts of the city, were Chief Minister Manik Saha, his cabinet colleagues, and senior civil and security officials.

Barman, who also serves as the party's General Secretary, emerged victorious in the 2023 Assembly elections from the Nalchar Assembly constituency in Sepahijala district.

Post-ceremony, Barman expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister and the party leaders for the opportunity to join the Tripura cabinet.

The opposition parties, CPI-M and Congress, chose to boycott the event, citing ongoing violence against their party members.

This marks the second expansion of Chief Minister Saha's cabinet since taking office.

Previously, on March 7, 2024, two MLAs from the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) -- Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma -- were welcomed into the ministry.

On March 8, 2023, the coalition government of BJP and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), led by Saha, secured a second consecutive term.

The TMP, under the leadership of former royal heir Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, contested the 2023 elections independently but later allied with the BJP-IPFT government after a tripartite agreement with the central government.

Currently, the IPFT holds one ministerial position, Sukla Charan Noatia, within the council. The BJP-IPFT alliance maintained its control over Tripura by winning 33 seats in the 60-member Assembly, with BJP securing 32 and IPFT one.

In its inaugural electoral participation, the TMP won 13 of the 42 seats it contested, emerging as the second-largest party, trailing behind the BJP.

Both the TMP and IPFT are tribal-focused parties, while the CPI (M) captured 11 seats and Congress garnered three in the last elections.

The CPI (M)-led Left Front and Congress collaborated through a seat-sharing deal during the elections.

The TMP gained political significance in April 2021, taking control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. This influential district council oversees approximately two-thirds of Tripura's area, home to over 1.2 million residents, with around 84% identifying as tribals.