Who is BJP’s Pratima Bhoumik, likely to become Tripura’s first woman CM?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies achieved a stunning triumph in the Northeast.The party retained its power in Tripura by securing 32 of the state’s 60 assembly seats.The next big question is about Tripura’s leadership.The incumbent Chief Minister Manik Saha was formally recognised as the saffron party’s CM face before the election, however, now there is widespread speculation that the national leadership may reconsider that decision now that the polls have closed.Pratima Bhoumik, who is currently the Union Minister of State for Empowerment and Social Justice, was reportedly being considered for the top position in the state by the BJP in order to "send the right message to the north-eastern region as well as to the entire nation" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Indian Express quoted its sources as saying.Nevertheless, the move may come later since it was Saha who led the party to victory. According to a senior leader, the BJP-led Centre may transfer Saha to the central government if Bhoumik is chosen to be the new CM.If appointed, Bhoumik will be the region’s first female chief minister in its history.Who is Pratima Bhoumik?Pratima Bhoumik represents the West Tripura constituency in the Lok Sabha. She joined the BJP in 1991 and since then has been a pillar of the party.Bhoumik hails from a farming family and is known for her simple lifestyle and down-to-earth demeanour in politics. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Bio Science from Women’s College in Agartala, Tripura’s capital city.According to Times of India, she was attracted to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and subsequently got involved with BJP.The 53-year-old became a member of the BJP Tripura State Committee a year after joining the party. She was appointed as Dhanpur Mandal’s leader in 1992.She worked her way up to become vice president of Tripura’s BJP Mahila Morcha and the state youth wing of the organisation.After serving two years as the BJP’s vice president, she was appointed the Tripura BJP General Secretary prior to the 2018 elections, which saw the BJP win a landslide victory.In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Bhoumik prevailed by a margin of more than three lakh votes.She is the first woman BJP Member of Parliament in Tripura and became the first permanent resident to become a Union Minister after being appointed to the Union Cabinet.According to CNBC-TV18, her active participation in the community earned her the nickname ‘Didi’ (sister). She has become a well-known BJP leader in Tripura after years of dedication.While politicians are often seen jumping ships frequently, Bhoumik has been a staunch BJP loyalist.As a social worker, she has been actively involved in addressing various issues of minorities and women’s rights in the state.She also engages in cultural initiatives, especially supporting the state’s traditional forms of art and culture.In the latest Tripura Assembly elections, the firebrand BJP leader stunned CPM in Dhanpur – a traditional Left bastion with former CM Manik Sarkar representing the constituency for the last 50 years. Bhoumik amassed 19,148 total votes with a massive 42.25 per cent vote share.In the assembly elections for Dhanpur in 2018 and 1998, she ran against Sarkar head-to-head but lost both times.BJP’s focus on women as a support baseThe consideration of making Bhoumik the Tripura CM comes at a time when BJP is concentrating on maximising women's support base in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda.It should be mentioned here that irrespective of defeat in areas where tribal voters reigned, women voters had a big impact on the BJP's return to power in the state.Additionally, Indian Express cited the Election Commission data, women participated more than men in voting this year, with 89.17 per cent of women against 86.12 per cent of men.Initiatives for womenIn order to create significant changes in women’s lives in Tripura, the ruling party at the Centre has launched numerous programmes and initiatives, such as a 33 per cent quota for women in state government jobs, as per Indian Express.They have developed action plans on health and nutrition, education, and the economy to serve women better, while also ensuring that the measures to end violence against women are efficient.The BJP government made education free for female students at government colleges and provided medical facilities to 1.9 lakh pregnant women.Prime Minister Modi has changed the ‘Look East’ policy to the ‘Act East’ policy. JNU for instance has the highest number of students from the North East region. In view of this, the foundation stone of Barak Hostel was laid on 24 July 2017 at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, in New Delhi. The foundation stone of a hostel exclusively for girl students from the North East region was also laid at Bangalore University.Tripura Assembly elections 2023The BJP and its allies are headed for a triple victory in the Northeast.Results for Assembly elections in Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya were declared on Thursday.The BJP-IPFT alliance took back control of Tripura with 32 seats in the 60-member assembly.Tripura’s presumed kingmaker and royal scion Pradyot Kishore’s TIPRA Motha party won 13 seats, while the Left-Congress alliance secured 14, with Debbarma’s party stealing some of the Left’s tribal votes.The Trinamool Congress (TMC) lost all 28 of the seats it ran for.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.