The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura,Rajib Bhattacharjee, is set to take his oath as a Rajya Sabha member on Tuesday, following his victory in a recent by-election.
According to official sources, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar will administer the oath. Bhattacharjee secured the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Tripura on September 3 after defeating CPI-M candidate and former MLA Sudhan Das. Bhattacharjee garnered 47 votes in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, while Das received only 10 votes. The seat had become vacant after former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb resigned following his election to the Lok Sabha from the Tripura West parliamentary constituency.
Bhattacharjee, 53, was appointed as the state BJP chief on August 25, 2022, succeeding Manik Saha, who became the Chief Minister. A dedicated member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for over 36 years, Bhattacharjee had contested last year’s Assembly elections from Banamalipur but was unsuccessful.
Both previous BJP Rajya Sabha members from Tripura, Manik Saha and Biplab Kumar Deb, were unable to complete their six-year terms. Saha stepped down after becoming Chief Minister in 2022, while Deb resigned after being elected to the Lok Sabha in 2024.
Following his victory in the by-election, Bhattacharjee expressed gratitude to BJP’s central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President J.P. Nadda, and Home Minister Amit Shah. “I am thankful for this opportunity to represent Tripura in the Rajya Sabha, and I will work diligently for the state’s progress and the welfare of all its people,” he said.
The ruling BJP has a strong majority in the Tripura Assembly with 33 members, alongside 13 from ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and one from the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). The Congress, with three MLAs, abstained from voting, citing concerns over violence during recent panchayat elections.
