In a significant move to rejuvenate the party’s organizational structure ahead of upcoming elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appointed 56 new faces as Mandal Presidents in Tripura, marking a major overhaul at the grassroots level. Out of the 60 Mandal Presidents, more than 93% are fresh appointments, signaling the party’s intent to bring in new leadership, energy, and diversity.
The Mandal Presidents play a pivotal role in BJP’s organizational framework, particularly during elections, where they help coordinate campaigns, engage with local communities, and promote government schemes. Each Assembly constituency committee in Tripura is led by a Mandal President, and the recent appointments are seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party’s outreach.
Key Highlights of the New Mandal Leadership:
A significant emphasis has been placed on youth in the new appointments, with many of the newly inducted Mandal Presidents being under 45 years of age.
For the first time, two women have been inducted as Mandal Presidents: Swapna Das from Pratapgarh and Sampa Das from Kamalpur.
The new leadership structure is designed to be inclusive, with 23% of the Mandal Presidents belonging to tribal communities, 18% from Scheduled Castes, and 36% from the general category, reflecting the party’s efforts to represent all sections of society.
The announcement of these new appointments was made by Samarendra Chandra Deb, the Returning Officer (RO) for the election of Mandal Presidents. Speaking to the media, Deb outlined that these elections were conducted with the goal of strengthening the organizational fabric of the BJP in the state, ensuring broad-based participation from various communities.
District-wise Mandal President Appointments:
West Tripura District: Key appointments include Indrajit Debbarma for Simna, Kartik Acharjee for Mohanpur, and Rajesh Bhowmik for Khyerpur.
Sipahijala District: Notable names include Nirmal Debbarma for Takarjala and Kajal Sarkar for Kamalasagar.
Khowai District: Appointments include Sukesh Debbarma for RC Ghat and Anukul Das for Khowai.
Gomati District: Amar Jamatia has been named Mandal President for Bagma, and Sani Saha for RK Pur.
South Tripura District: Among the appointees are Joydeb Sarkar for Rajnagar and Sayantan Datta for Belonia.
Dhalai District: Dhanyamanik Tripura has been appointed for Raimavelly, while Shampa Das has been selected for Kamalpur.
Unakoti District: Santosh Dhar has been named Mandal President for Pabia Chara, and Tarun Kumar Das for Fatikroy.
North Tripura District: Notable appointments include Bimal Purkayastha for Kurti Kadatala and Bikas Nath for Bagbasa.
The BJP’s organizational structure is expected to become more robust and dynamic with these new appointments. In the coming months, the party will continue its leadership elections at the district level, with district-level Presidents set to be elected by the first week of January 2025. The election for the state-level President will follow subsequently. Currently, the BJP has 10 organizational districts in Tripura.
Party’s Commitment to Youth and Fresh Leadership: According to the Returning Officer, the eligibility criteria for the Mandal President election ensured that only those under the age of 45 could contest, while leaders who had already served two terms as Mandal Presidents were excluded from this round of elections. This approach is designed to inject fresh perspectives and youthful vigor into the party’s leadership at the grassroots level.
The party’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity is also evident from the broad representation across different social and ethnic groups in the new leadership appointments.
Warm Congratulations from Party Leadership: The newly-elected Mandal Presidents were congratulated by several senior BJP leaders. Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, in a Facebook post, expressed his best wishes, saying, “Many congratulations to the newly appointed Mandal Presidents of the Tripura Pradesh BJP. I believe the organization will grow stronger under your leadership.”
Other senior leaders, including BJP MPs Biplab Kumar Deb, Rajib Bhattacharjee, and Ministers Ratan Lal Nath and Sushanta Chowdhury, also extended their congratulations to the new Mandal Presidents.
Membership Drive Success: In a related development, BJP’s membership drive in Tripura has been a resounding success. The party has nearly doubled its membership compared to 2019, with a total of 11.91 lakh members registered. According to Bhagaban Chandra Das, the state in-charge for the membership drive, out of the total memberships, 9.41 lakh were enrolled online, while 2.5 lakh were registered offline. This surge in membership is seen as a sign of growing support for the party across the state.
In the previous membership drive in 2019, the BJP had registered 6.5 lakh members, indicating a remarkable increase in its base in just a few years.
With the new leadership in place, BJP is looking to maintain its momentum in Tripura, as it prepares for upcoming electoral challenges and continues its outreach to the people.
