Agartala, Jun 6 (PTI) Despite his thumping victory in the Lok Sabha election, BJP leader Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday expressed his desire to return to state politics but asserted that he was ready to work wherever the party decides.
“The party is the ultimate authority,” remarked Deb, who led the BJP to power in Tripura, ending a 25-year-long communist rule in 2018, and subsequently served as chief minister before being removed four years later.
Tripura BJP president Manik Saha then took charge and after the 2023 assembly elections, he continues to be at the helm of the BJP-led government in the state.
Currently a Rajya Sabha MP, Deb defeated his rival Asish Kumar Saha of the Congress by over six lakh votes from the West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency. Saha was also the joint candidate of the INDIA bloc.
“A chief minister is the head of a state while a Union minister works under the prime minister…”, he said and indicated his desire to return to state politics.
“And, it will not be less than the post of the chief minister. I had worked in the state as head of the government, not as a minister,” he told PTI.
The newly elected Lok Sabha MP detailed how he was chosen as a candidate of one of the two seats in Tripura.
Deb, also the election prabhari (in-charge) of Haryana, said, “normally, election prabharis are not given tickets to contest elections. It was initially confirmed that incumbent MPs Pratima Bhoumik and Rebati Tripura will contest from their respective Lok Sabha constituencies.” Deb said he was nowhere in the picture.
“Suddenly I got a call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He told me I had to contest from the West Tripura Lok Sabha seat. Being a party leader, I could not turn down the party’s decision… I won the election massively the way I expected,” Deb said.
On his huge winning margin of over 6 lakh votes, the former chief minister said the Congress has disappeared from the state while the CPI(M) still has supporters at the grassroots level.
The Congress and the Left party fought the Lok Sabha elections together in the state.
“The CPI(M) has failed to transfer its committed vote bank to Congress as it did in last year’s Assembly elections. Besides, Tipra Motha’s joining the BJP-led coalition government is also a major reason behind the huge winning margin,” he said.
Asserting that he will have to concentrate on the state after being elected as an MP of Lok Sabha, Deb said he will soon hold a meeting with Chief Minister Manik Saha and will work on the development of the state.
“The state has no industry and it needs jobs for the youth. Tourism, including medical and spiritual tourism, could generate employment for the young generation very fast. During my tenure as the chief minister, there was a plan to lease out the newly built IGM building to Apollo Hospitals but it did not materialize due to Covid pandemic,” he said.
Deb said he will take steps to complete the facelift of Tripureswari temple, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, in Gumati district to promote spiritual tourism. PTI PS MNB
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.