Major Setback For BJP-Led Alliance In Tripura As Influential MLA Resigns

With Tripura Assembly elections barely four months away, the state's ruling BJP-IPFT alliance today suffered another major setback. Mevar Kumar Jamatia, an influential legislator of BJP ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), resigned from the state Assembly.

53-year-old Mr Jamatia, who was elected from the Asharambari Assembly constituency in Khowai district in the 2018 polls, is the third IPFT MLA to quit the Assembly since last year.

Significantly, he is the seventh MLA of the BJP-IPFT ruling alliance to quit. Earlier BJP MLAs Burba Mohan Tripura, Ashis Das, Sudip Roy Barman, and Ashis Kumar Saha also quit the party and the Assembly after open differences with then Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

Mevar Kumar Jamatia, who had been the Forest and Tribal Welfare Minister in BJP-IPFT government, resigned from his party as well immediately after submitting his resignation letter to Assembly Speaker Ratan Chakraborty.

Sources say he is likely to join Tripura Royal Scion Pradyot Manikya Deb Barman led Tipra Motha, which has steadily been gaining ground in the state and could emerge as the primary opposition challenger.