The ruling BJP in Tripura has expelled former party MLA and invitee member of the state committee, advocate Arun Chandra Bhowmik from the party for six years.

In a statement issued on behalf of BJP state committee, party’s media in charge Sunit Sarkar said that Arun Chandra Bhowmik’s expulsion order takes effect with  immediate effect for his alleged violation of the party's ideals and anti-party activities.

It may be recalled here that former MLA Bhowmik, a veteran lawyer, joined the BJP ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, deserting the Congress and won the election from Belonia seat, but he was denied a party ticket in 2023 assembly elections. The expulsion of Bhowmik comes a day after he visited the Congress Bhavan in Agartala and held a meeting with Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha.

Reacting to the statement of expulsion Arun Chandra Bhowmik said “I do not give any importance to the letter issued by BJP , I have been a Congressman since my youth in the seventies, I was the state youth Congress president and had contested the assembly polls in Hrishyamukh assembly constituency as Congress candidate in 1977.”. He stated that he is already with Congress but will formally join the party after Priyanka Gandhi arrives in the state next month.

Expressing his disappointment over the state BJP’s activities, Bhowmik said he had tried to meet Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha twice but failed. “I think the BJP in Tripura has many better leaders than the incumbent chief minister. I don’t know why competent people are not getting a chance at the important position,” he said. Bhowmik also claimed that six to seven BJP MLAs will leave the party within a short period.