Cong MLA defects to join Tripura BJP

Bharatiya Janata Party’s Tripura unit (BJP) got a shot in the arm on Friday when a senior Congress MLA quit to join the saffron party ahead of the assembly elections scheduled next year.

Six rebel Trinamool Congress MLAs had joined the BJP in August earlier this year.

With the defection of Congress’ Ratan Lal Nath, the grand old party now has only two MLAs in 60-member Tripura assembly, where the CPM is in majority with 51 legislators. Tripura will go to polls next year, which will also see seven other states elect a new assembly.

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav, Assam finance minister Himana Biswa Sharma, Assam’s PWD minister Parimal Shuklabidya, and party’s Tripura unit president Biplab Deb welcomed Nath, who will also bring nearly 1,000 of his supporters into the BJP fold. Mahila Congress president Himani Debbarma and CPM’s women wing leader S Sinha accompanied Nath to the induction programme.

“Manik Sarkar has converted Tripura into a corrupt state in two decades. But our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has aimed to make a corruption-free India. BJP is the only party that would fight with the CPM in true sense. This assembly election would be a contest for parivartan in the state,” said Nath.

Nath had maintained a cordial relation with the BJP despite being with the Congress. He would voice his support for NDA schemes in public rallies and had voted for NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential election.

AGARTALA:The