Tripura Cabinet: OBCs Neglected Despite 42% Population, BJP Faces Growing Internal Dissent, State President Post Now in Contention

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, July 3, 2025

The composition of the newly formed Tripura Council of Ministers has ignited intense political debate, raising questions of representation, internal power tussles within the BJP, and growing dissatisfaction among key demographic blocs, especially the Other Backward Classes (OBCs), who comprise the state’s largest population segment at approximately 42%.

While Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Scheduled Castes (SCs) have been given representation roughly matching their demographic proportion, OBCs have been left with a mere token presence just one minister, Ratan Lal Nath. This imbalance has caused a stir not only among the public but also within the ruling BJP itself.

Based on official and independent demographic estimates, Tripura’s ST Population is 31%, SCs 17%, OBCs: 42% although no official state reservation; 27% mandated in Central Govt guidelines and General Category 10%.

In a 12 member Council of Ministers (including one Minister of State), proportional representation would ideally look like: STs: 4 Ministers, SCs: 2 Ministers, OBCs: 5 Ministers and General: 1 Minister. But in actual cabinet as of July 3, 2025 is

STs: 5 (Santana Chakma, Bikash Debbarma, Sukla Charan Noatia, Animesh Debbarma, Brishaketu Debbarma, MoS)

SCs: 2 (Sudhangshu Das, Kishore Barman, but no portfolio assigned), OBCs: 1 (Ratan Lal Nath) and General Category: 4 (Manik Saha, Pranajit Singha Roy, Sushanta Chowdhury and Tinku Roy).

While ST and SC representation aligns with demographic proportion, the treatment of OBC leaders has drawn sharp criticism. The underrepresentation of OBCs, despite their numerical strength, is emerging as a major point of concern. Senior OBC leaders in the BJP, many of whom have a strong grassroots presence, were overlooked for ministerial berths, a move being seen as politically short-sighted.

A veteran BJP MLA, speaking to TripuraInfo on condition of anonymity, remarked:

> “This is not just about numbers, it’s about respect and power. With only one OBC in the Cabinet, what message are we sending to nearly half the state’s population? If this continues, we may lose the OBC support base, just like we’re already losing ground in tribal areas.”

Adding to the internal turmoil, a senior BJP leaders have begun lobbying locally to capture the post of Tripura BJP State President, arguing that the OBC community deserves organizational representation at the top. According to sources, these leaders are preparing to pressure the central leadership, warning that:

> “If no OBC leader is made the next State BJP President, the party will suffer further erosion in OBC-dominated regions much like what has happened in tribal belts.”

This development reflects a deeper unease within the BJP ranks, where organizational loyalty is being tested against caste representation and leadership choices. The resentment brewing at the grassroots may create serious strategic problems for the party in the run-up to the next Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

According to some of the senior BJP leadership, the current Cabinet composition in Tripura reveals a glaring mismatch between demographic realities and political representation. While SCs and STs have received fair inclusion, OBCs despite forming the largest community in the state have been largely excluded from power. The ongoing internal unrest within the BJP, coupled with pressure to appoint an OBC leader as state president, indicates that the party may be heading toward a period of internal recalibration or potential crisis if corrective action isn’t taken soon.

Whether this discontent leads to a reshuffle or restructuring remains to be seen, but one thing is certain, caste dynamics are now central to the political discourse in Tripura.

(Published by: TripuraInfo Political Desk

Date: July 3, 2025)

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