Animesh Debbarma

Animesh Debbarma
Official portrait, 2023
Cabinet Minister, Government of Tripura
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 March 2024
Departments	Forests General Administration (Printing & Stationery) Science, Technology, and Environment
Preceded by	Mevar Kumar Jamatia and Jishnu Dev Varma
Leader of The Opposition in Tripura Legislative Assembly
In office 24 March 2023 – 7 March 2024
Preceded by	Manik Sarkar
Succeeded by	Jitendra Chaudhury
Member of Tripura Legislative Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 2023
Preceded by	Mevar Kumar Jamatia
Constituency	Asharambari
Preceded by	Aghore Debbarma
Constituency	Kulai-Champahour [1]
Deputy Chief Executive Member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council
In office April 2021 – March 2023
Preceded by	Madhumati Debbarma
Succeeded by	vacant
Personal details
Born	(1970-01-19) 19 January 1970 (age 54) Rajnagar, Tripura, India
Political party	Tipra Motha Party
Residence(s)	Tulashikhar, Khowai,Tripura
Education	B.Tech (Computer Science and Engineering)
Alma mater	North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology
Profession	Social and Political Activist

Animesh Debbarma (born 19 January 1970) is an Indian politician and senior leader of the Tipra Motha Party. Currently, he is a cabinet minister in the second Manik Saha Ministry.^[2] He served as the 13th Leader of the Opposition of Tripura Legislative Assembly from 24 March 2023 to 6 March 2024. He was also the Deputy Chief Executive Member of TTAADC but resigned when he won the 2023 Tripura Legislative Assembly election.^[3][4][5]

Early life

Animesh Debbarma was born in Rajnagar Village of Khowai District of Tripura. Debbarma graduated with B.Tech in Computer Science and engineering from NERIST, Arunachal Pradesh. He has worked as an engineer in Indian Oil, Mumbai for many years and CSIRO, Nagpur as a scientist for few years.^[6]

He left his corporate job at the Indian Oil to join mainstream politics and became a member of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) in and around early 2000. He is known as Animesh Babu and also as the Founder of NCT.

Political career

Animesh Debbarma speaking at the Khasi-Tiprasa Council meet in Khumulwng on April 27, 2023.

Cabinet Minister

Animesh Debbarma was sworn in as a cabinet minister in Manik Saha ministry on March 7, 2024 following the Tiprasa Accord between Union Government of India, Tipra Motha, and Government of Tripura.^[7]

Tripura State Legislature

Debbarma was previously a member of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra. In 2003 Tripura Legislative Assembly election he contesting as the candidate of INPT and won the election against the CPI(M) candidate Aghore Debbarma.^[8] In 2006, Debbarma separated from INPT and formed a new party National Conference of Tripura with the disaffected members of some party.^[9]

Autonomous District Council

In 2020, he merged his party into INPT.^[10] Debbarma join Tipra Motha Party before the TTAADC election on 20 February 2021 and leave his parent party INPT.^[11][12] Animesh then contested the 2021 Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council Election and won from Kulai-Champahour constituency.^[13]

Later, he was made the Deputy Chief Executive Member of TTAADC with allocation of important portfolios like Tribal Welfare, Industries and Agriculture. Animesh resigned from the post of Deputy Chief Executive Member on March after being elected to Tripura Legislative Assembly.

Leader of Opposition, Tripura Legislative Assembly

He contested the 2023 Tripura Legislative Assembly from Ashrambari constituency and won with a margin 18,382 votes. He is the among candidate with the highest margin win.^[14]

Debbarma is the current Leader of Opposition of Tripura Legislative Assembly as TIPRA Motha became the official opposition with 13 legislators.^[15] On March 7, 2024, Debbarma resigned from the office of Leader of The Opposition to be sworned as a cabinet minister.^[16]

Electoral performance

Election	Constituency	Party		Result	Votes %	Opposition Candidate	Opposition Party		Opposition vote %	Ref
2023	Asharambari		TMP	Won	66.56%	Jayanti Debbarma		IPFT	15.38%	[17]
2008	Pramodenagar		Independent	Lost	36.62%	Aghore Debbarma		CPI(M)	54.00%	[18]
2003	Pramodenagar		INPT	Won	48.52%	Aghore Debbarma		CPI(M)	46.75%	[19]

Positions held

^[20]

• Cabinet Minister, Tripura Government (7 March-present)^[21]
• Deputy Chief Executive Member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, 2021-2023
• Member, Tripura Legislative Assembly (2003-2008)
• Leader of Opposition, Tripura Legislative Assembly (24 March 2023–6 March 2024)

Views and opinions

Animesh Debbarma has been an active proponent for a separate statehood Greater Tipraland. He opines if the Tiprasas needs more autonomy, financial and political empowerment.^[22]

Kokborok Script

Animesh Debbarma has raised the issue of the ongoing Kokborok Script Debate in the assembly session on March 28, 2023. He have addressed that the government has to keep the people's demand before making any decision relating to Kokborok. Specifically on Kokborok Subject issue is CBSE, Debbarma demanded the question paper should be written both in Roman script as it is efficient for the students.^[23][24]

References

1. "Explained: Results and takeaways of Tripura tribal polls". 14 April 2021.
2. "Meet Animesh & Brishaketu Debbarma, the 2 TIPRA Motha MLAs set to become Tripura ministers today". The Indian Express. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
3. "Pratima resigns her assembly seat, so do Animesh and Chitta their ADC seats". tripurainfo.com.
4. "Asharambari Constituency Result 2023: Animesh Debbarma wins seat by 18,328 votes". News9live. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
5. "Election Commission of India". results.eci.gov.in.
6. "TIPRA candidate wins by highest margin in Tripura". The Times of India. 3 March 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
7. Desk, Sentinel Digital (7 March 2024). "Tripura: TIPRA Motha Leaders Animesh Debbarma, Brishaketu Debbarma sworn in as Cabinet ministers". Sentinel Assam. Retrieved 7 March 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
8. "Tripura Assembly Election Results in 2003". Elections.in. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
9. "INPT splits, with help from Cong". www.telegraphindia.com. Calcutta: The Telegraph. 11 December 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
10. "Tripura ADC poll: NCT merges with INPT". thenortheasttoday.com. 14 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
11. "Animesh Joins TIPRA, INPT struggles for inclusion in alliance". Retrieved 29 March 2023.
12. "Former MLA Animesh Debbarma joins TIPRA". indigenousherald.com. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
13. "Tripura ADC elections 2021: TIPRA and INPT announces candidate list". thenortheasttoday.com. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2023.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
14. "TIPRA candidate wins by highest margin in Tripura". The Times of India. 3 March 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
15. Banik, Mrinal (13 April 2023). "Water woes in hills: Tripura Leader of Opposition serves ultimatum". EastMojo. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
16. PTI (7 March 2024). "Tripura LoP Animesh Debbarma resigns, to take oath as Minister in BJP-led govt". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
17. "Tripura Assembly election results 2023: Check full list of winners". The Indian Express. 2 March 2023. Archived from the original on 20 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
18. "Statistical Report on General Election, 2008 to the Legislative Assembly of Tripura" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2010.
19. "Form 20 | Final Result Sheet | General Election to the Tripura Legislative Assembly - 2003" (PDF). Chief Electoral Officer, Tripura. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
20. "Shri Animesh Debbarma" (PDF). Tripura Legislative Assembly. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
21. PTI (7 March 2024). "Tripura LoP Animesh Debbarma resigns, to take oath as minister in BJP-led govt". ThePrint. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
22. "Talks between Centre and TIPRA Motha resume on constitutional solution, assures Animesh Debbarma". India Today NE. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
23. "Motha seeks Tripura CM's intervention to allow both Roman, Bengali scripts in Kokborok exams". The Indian Express. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
24. "Uproar in Tripura Assembly over script for Kokborok dialect". The Hindu. 29 March 2023. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 19 May 2023.