Ruling BJP announced its candidates for the 48 constituencies out of total 60 on Saturday. BJP sources said the candidates for the rest of the constituencies would also be announced soon.
The list was announced by the BJP central leadership following meetings with party president, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah et al and state leaders.
While most of the ministers and sitting MLAs got renominations, two of the most surprising inclusions were Md Moboshar Ali, the sitting CPM MLA of Kailasahar and Union Minister of State Pratima Bhowmik. Ali joined the BJP only yesterday and was given nomination from BJP this time- from the same Kailasahar constituency and Bhowmik would contest from her home constituency Dhanpur.
While some of the ST reserved seats from where last time IPFT fought the elections were kept vacant this time also, the BJP did not announce the candidates names from 18 Surjyamaninagar and 6 Agartala constituencies. Surjyamaninagar is presently represented by minister Ram Prasad Paul while 6 -Agartala went to Congress after Sudip Roy Barman left BJP constested as Cpngress candidate. Among the MLAs who were dropped this time were Mimi Majumdar from 14 Badharghat SC seat where Mina Rani Sarkar was fielded, Arun Chandra Bhowmik from Belonia from where Gautam Sarkar would fight the elections. From 21 Nalchar (SC) Subhash Chandra Das was replaced by Kishore Barman.
There was also change in Ambassa seat where instead of Parimal Debbarma this time Suchitr Debbarma was given the nomination.
There were so far 11 women candidates in the list.
41 Ampinagar ST seats was represented by BJP ally IPFT in 2018 polls, but this time BJP fielded Patal Kanya Jamatia from this constituency.
In the ensuing assembly elections the BJP would be going alone to the fray as the partner IPFT was going closer to TIPRA Motha.
The BJP leaders including Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, MoS Pratima Bhowmik state unit president Rajib Bhattacharjee et al had series of meetings in New Delhi with top party leaders and the returned last night in a chartered flight.
