Major setback for BJP in Tripura as MLA Burba Mohan resigns, joins TIPRA

In a major jolt to the ruling BJP ahead of next year's assembly polls, MLA Burba Mohan Tripura resigned from the assembly on Friday and joined TIPRA (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance), a local tribal-based party.

Burba, along with TIPRA party chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, submitted his resignation letter to Tripura assembly speaker Ratan Chakraborty.

Burba Mohan Tripura was elected to the Tripura assembly in 2018 from the tribal reserved seat of Karbook.


Four MLAs have resigned from the present assembly so far. Ashis Das, Sudip Roy Barman and Ashis Kumar Saha had quit the BJP and the assembly membership following open differences with former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

Das joined Trinamool Congress last year and quit the party in May this year while Roy Barman, also a former BJP minister, and Saha joined the Congress in February this year.

Roy Barman was re-elected to the state assembly for the sixth time in the by-election in June on a Congress ticket.

Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) MLA Brishaketu Debbarma resigned from the assembly in June last year and joined the TIPRA.

The BJP, along with ally IPFT, had routed the Left Front in Tripura in 2018. In the 60-member Tripura assembly, BJP won 36 seats and IPFT eight while the CPM, secured 16 seats.