Tripura Pradesh BJP expelled ex-MLA Arun Chandra Bhowmik from the Party on Thursday after the latter announced his intention to shift allegiance to the opposition Congress party. He expressed discontent with what he perceives as a lack of discipline within the ruling party during his time in the BJP.
Bhowmik was elected from Belonia in the 2018 Assembly elections under the BJP banner and he was not nominated again by the saffron party in 2023 Assembly polls. Bhowmik recently met with Tripura state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman to convey his interest in joining their ranks.
Arun Chandra Bhowmik, a lawyer turned politician, highlighted his long association with the Congress, spanning several decades from 1977, holding significant roles within the party. He criticized the BJP, citing a perceived absence of discipline within its ranks. In his criticism, he specifically pointed fingers at both former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and current Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha.
The 76 years old leader, Bhowmik indicated plans to join the Congress alongside former BJP MLA Biplab Ghosh and several other party members and workers during the visit of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the General Secretary of Congress, scheduled to occur in Tripura in December.
However, following Bhowmik’s announcement of his intent to join the Congress, the ruling BJP took swift action, expelling him from the party for six years due to what they termed as “anti-party” activities.
Sunit Sarkar, BJP’s media in-charge, emphasized that Bhowmik’s actions were in direct violation of party policies, discipline, morals, and ideology. The party issued an immediate expulsion order, effectively severing ties with him for the next six years.
Bhowmik’s frustration reportedly escalated after he was excluded from contesting the Belonia constituency in the February 2023 Assembly election. His discontent heightened as he was also overlooked for any chairmanship roles within various corporations or public sector units, despite the appointments of several junior party members to such positions. (Edited)