Agartala, Mar 2 (PTI) The BJP on Saturday nominated Rajya Sabha member and former chief minister Biplab Deb for West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency, currently held by Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik.
The party, however, did not announce the candidate for the East Tripura constituency, the other Lok Sabha seat in the northeastern state.
Deb, who became the BJP state president in 2016 had played a key role in the party’s historic victory in the state by defeating the 25-year-old CPI(M) regime in 2018, and became the chief minister.
During his tenure as Tripura CM, Deb had made headlines often because of his controversial statements – from hinting at the existence of the Internet during the Mahabharata era to questioning whether Diana Hayden deserved to win the Miss World title and whether she or Aishwarya Rai symbolised true ‘Indian beauty’.
Months before the 2023 assembly election, the BJP replaced him and made Rajya Sabha MP Manik Saha the new chief minister. Deb later became a Rajya Sabha member.
Saha congratulated Deb after he was chosen as the party candidate in the West Tripura Parliamentary constituency. PTI PS NN
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