Purna Jamatia, not Pradyot, sworn in as new CEM of Tripura tribal council

AGARTALA: Former student leader Purna Jamatia took oath as the Chief Executive Member of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) at its headquarters in Khumulwung on Monday.

Jagadish Debbarma, a prominent tribal leader and a former chairman of the tribal council, took the oath as the Chairman.

The oath was administered to 18 newly-elected TIPRA members by the council's Chief Executive officer (CEO) GK Rao. The lone Independent member also took oath at the event.

However, members of the BJP stayed away from the programme in protest, alleging that supporters of TIPRA had unleashed violence on them.

The newly-formed TIPRA, led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman, swept the TTAADC elections, winning 18 of the 28 seats that went to the polls on April 6.

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The BJP won nine seats and one seat was bagged by the Independent candidate. Notably, the BJP's ally and regional powerhouse Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) drew a blank, as did the Congress.

Representatives in the remaining two seats will be nominated by the governor on the advice of the state government.

The BJP members would take oaths on a separate date, officials said.

The TTAADC area is two-third of the state territory and is the home to the tribals, who constitute one-third of Tripura's population.

Deb Barman, who earlier announced that he would take over as the Chief Executive Member, said that he would remain as the advisor of the tribal council.

The council will work in a transparent manner and in coordination with the state government, Barman, who has been pushing for a separate Greater Tipraland state, told reporters.

"Purna Jamatia is a person who is very honest, educated, young and energetic. He can lead the council with his clean image. He has sacrificed a lot and worked very hard," Deb Barman told reporters.

"There is an advisory panel and recommendation committee which will oversee the whole administration and work of the TTAADC," he added.

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