Big jolt to BJP in Tripura as two MLAs resign, quit party

Agartala: In a major political jolt, two more MLAs of the ruling BJP -- Sudip Roy Barman and Ashis Kumar Saha - on Monday resigned from the assembly and gave up the membership of their party.

Roy Barman and Saha met Speaker Ratan Chakraborty who handed over their resignation letters to Tripura Assembly Speaker told the media that they have also sent their resignation letters to the BJP's state President Manik Saha. 

Roy Barman told reporters that they will travel to New Delhi later in the day and finalise the future course of action amid speculation that they may join the Congress on Tuesday. "We will be back in Tripura on February 12. We have also sent letters to BJP state president Manik Saha, resigning from the primary membership of the party," said Saha.

The BJP's tally went down to 33 in the 60-member assembly with the resignation of the two MLAs.

Sources close to Roy Barman and Saha said that they might meet Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other leaders in Delhi and join the party. Roy Barman and Saha, strong critics of Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, were earlier in Congress before joining TMC in 2016 and then to BJP next year (2017).

Earlier, BJP MLA Ashish Das after strongly criticising the saffron party and its leadership including Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on October 31, 2021, following which he was disqualified from Tripura Assembly by Speaker Ratan Chakraborty on January 5.