To resolve cabinet design deadlock Shah, Nadda arrives in Tripura

Agartala: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda are arriving in Agartala on Tuesday to chair several meetings ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet on Wednesday.

BJP Tripura state president Rajib Bhattacharjee told that the two leaders will land at the MBB airport in Agartala at 5:30 pm. However, he refused to say anything about the purpose of his visit to the state.
Home Minister Amit Shah and JP Nadda arrive today, a day ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of the new state cabinet. They will reach Agartala around 5:30 pm,” Bhattacharjee said.

The arrival of the two senior leaders assumes significance in view of the fact that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is deadlocked over the distribution of ministerial berths among the newly elected MLAs.
It may be mentioned here that Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha has already been appointed as the leader of the Legislature Party by the MLAs but the party is facing a difficult phase in filling the remaining 11 cabinet berths.

Sources said that Amit Shah and JP Nadda are reaching out to take the party out of the impasse.
Apart from the Chief Minister, there are only 11 Cabinet posts but there are many candidates. The party’s state leadership has sought intervention from the Center to resolve internal issues, which could open the floodgates if not dealt with carefully, and hence the two top leaders are arriving a day before the swearing-in ceremony. His presence in the second spell of the party legislature meeting will make it easier to fill the vacancies in the state cabinet,” said a senior BJP leader.
The party has decided to make the post of deputy chief minister vacant for the next cabinet due to the absence of former deputy chief minister Jishnu Dev Varma among the elected MLAs.
The party is also in a quandary over the role of Union Minister Pratima Bhowmik, who won the recently concluded elections from the Left stronghold of Dhanpur.

While all these issues surround the Tripura BJP, the visit of the two senior leaders is seen as a relief to the party’s state leadership.