Amid the political crisis brewing in Tripura, as many as 10 MLAs of the ruling BJP skipped a crucial meeting called by Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Friday night.
The meeting was held to “garner support of all the 36 party MLAs for the 2023 poll battle” amid growing dissidence, sources said.
Out of the 36 BJP MLAs, ten MLAs including dissident legislators–Sudip Roy Barman and Ram Prasad Paul–were conspicuous by their absence in the meeting held at the conference hall of the Tripura Assembly.
The development came close on the heels of the BJP national general secretary (organisation), BL Santhosh meeting all ministers and MLAs in the BJP headquarters at Agartala on June 15.
Soon after Santhosh’s visit to the State, Roy Barman flew to Guwahati and reportedly held a meeting with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Later, he went to New Delhi and returned within 24 hours.
Roy Barman declined to divulge details about his visit to the national capital.
Speculations rife that dissident BJP MLAs planning to quit the party to join Trinamool Congress ahead of the 2023 assembly elections in the state.
Mukul Roy, former national vice-president of BJP, was responsible for switching Sudip Roy Barman and his loyalists to the saffron party after he quit Trinamool Congress in 2016.
However, after his exit from the party, the national leadership is now concerned over losing ground in Tripura.