GUWAHATI:
Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment, Pratima Bhoumik will contest from Dhanpur assembly constituency on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ticket as the saffron party has released the list of candidates for Tripura poll slated on February 16.
In 2021 Pratima Bhoumik scripted history by becoming the first politician from Tripura to be made a Union minister.
First-time MP Bhoumik, who is popularly known as ‘Pratima Di’, was elected from the West Tripura constituency in the last general elections in 2019.
After getting the ticket for the Dhanpur seat, Bhoumik tweeted, “We will surely win. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, National President JP Nadda Ji and Home Minister Amit Shah Ji for nominating me as a BJP candidate from Dhanpur Assembly Constituency.”
“The people of Tripura will put a stamp on the development model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We will win with an absolute majority.” Bhoumick said.
“Both CPI-M and Congress know that they can’t fight us separately. Hence the alliance. The grassroot level workers don’t believe in this alliance. Only the top leaders have aligned as per the politics of convenience,” Bhoumick also said.
She also expressed confidence that the Modi government’s welfare schemes for women and tribals will see the party through in the state where the Left ruled for decades.
In 2018 elections, Bhowmik unsuccessfully contested against former Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar.
The ruling BJP on Saturday announced its first list of 48 candidates dropping six sitting MLAs, and is fielding 11 women candidates.
The BJP dropped six sitting MLAs – Arun Chandra Bhowmik (Belonia), Biplab Ghosh (Matabari), Subhash Das (Nalchar), Mimi Majumder (Badharghat), Birendra Kishore Debbarma (Golaghati), and Parimal Debbarma (Ambasa).
All the nine BJP ministers, including Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, got the party tickets from their respective constituencies.
However, the name of the candidate from Minister Ram Prasad Paul’s constituency in Suryamaninagar was not announced in the first list.
According to the first list, Chief Minister Manik Saha, who was elected to the state assembly in the by-elections in June last year after former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb was removed from the top post in May, will contest from the Bordowali seat.
Tripura state BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee would contest the election for the first time from Banamalipur seat, from where former Chief Minister and incumbent Rajya Sabha member Biplab Kumar Deb was elected in 2018 assembly polls.
CPI(M)’s sitting MLA Moboshar Ali, who on Friday joined the BJP in New Delhi, will contest from his old constituency Kailasahar in northern Tripura, from where he was elected to the state assembly for the first time on a Left party ticket in the 2018 polls.
Around 15 new faces find a place in the first list. The second list of 12 names would be announced soon.