Tripura: Motha leaders Animesh, Brishaketu sworn in as ministers in Manik Saha-led BJP Govt

In a big development in Tripura after the signing of the Tiprasa Accord on March 2, two senior Tipra Motha leaders – Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma were sworn in today as Ministers in the Manik Saha-led BJP Government.

Tripura Governor N Indrasena Reddy administered the oath of office to the two Tipra Motha leaders in a small swearing-in ceremony held at the Governor’s House this morning.

The two leaders took their oath in the Kokborok language.

The swearing-in of the two Tipra Motha leaders into the Manik Saha Cabinet takes the number of Cabinet Ministers in Tripura to 11 and Tipra Motha aligning with the BJP has taken the strength of BJP in the 60-member House to 46.

Tipra Motha joining hands with BJP is a big political development in Tripura as Motha is the party fighting for the cause of the Tiprasas, the indigenous people of Tripura and the development comes within five days of signing of the much awaited Tiprasa Accord to ensure constitutional safeguards to land, language, social and political rights of the Tiprasa people.

Animesh Debbarma, a 2-time MLA, was the Leader of Opposition in the Tripura Assembly after the party won 13 of the 60 Assembly seats held in 2023. He resigned this morning as the LoP as part of the procedure before being sworn in as a Minister in the Maniki Saha Cabinet.

Animesh Debbarma started his political career as a member of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT). He became MLA for the first time in 2003 winning from the Kalyanpur-Promodenagar seat on INPT ticket. In 2006, he parted ways with the INPT and formed a new party, National Conference of Tripura. Fourteen years later, in 2020, he merged his party with INPT. Animesh Debbarma joined Tipra Motha just ahead of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls in February 2021. He then contested the 2021 TTAADC election and won from the Kulai-Champahour constituency.

He was made the Deputy Chief Executive Member of TTAADC and given important portfolios like Tribal Welfare, Industries and Agriculture.

Animesh won the 2023 Assembly elections from Ashrambari constituency and won with a margin 18,382 votes. He is among the candidates to have won the 2023 polls with highest margin of votes.

Brishaketu Debbarma too is a 2-time MLA. He won from the Simna seat in 2018 as Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) candidate. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly on 29 June 2021 and joined Tipra Motha on 9 July 2021. He won the Simna seat again in the 2023 Assembly polls as a Tipra Motha candidate. He is a lawyer by profession.

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