Armed with the gift of the gab, Tripura Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Chowdhury has made his mark as a star campaigner in this election season while canvassing support for the candidates of the ruling BJP.
Hitting the campaign trail more often than his Cabinet colleagues in BJP’s high-voltage electioneering, he has been a Minister of the BJP-led coalition government only for the last two years, but his oratory skills put him in high demand in the party’s public meetings.
Despite losing his father recently, the 44-year-old leader has shouldered responsibility to campaign mainly in West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency and Ramnagar Assembly constituency in Agartala, where a byelection was necessitated due to the demise of seven-time MLA Surajit Datta. Both the elections will be held simultaneously on April 19.
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Mr. Chowdhury, a Congress turncoat, shot into political fame as State Youth Congress President. He joined the saffron party with his political mentors ahead of the 2018 Assembly election and became MLA for the first time from Majlishpur constituency on a BJP ticket. He retained the seat in last year’s Assembly polls.
‘Namaskar, As-Salaam-Alaikum’ — this is how he started his address at a public meeting in Ramnagar constituency on Thursday. Chief Minister Manik Saha and senior leaders of the BJP also took part in the meeting convened in support of Lok Sabha candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and Assembly byelection candidate Dipak Majumder.
Ramnagar has a mixed population, and it had elected Surajit Datta in all elections since 1988 except one poll cycle. Despite the late leader’s departure from Congress and joining the BJP, he has continuously received support from Muslim residents of the constituency owing to the popularity earned through his personal contact with almost every household.
BJP candidate Dipak Majumder, who is in direct contest with INDIA bloc’s CPI(M) nominee Ratan Das, in one of the largest Assembly constituencies in the state, promised to carry on the work that has been left behind by Datta. “I will just try to follow his [Datta] path, try to copy his work,” he asserted in a short speech.
But Mr. Chowdhury was allotted more time to speak about the Union and State governments’ welfare, development and progress of the State as well as people from all sections of people. .
“There has not been a single instance of discrimination in the line of religion or community. Ask yourself what you got from this government headed by Dr. Manik Saha and the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said while appealing the public to vote for BJP candidates.
Mr. Chowdhury referred to the BJP’s win in the byelection to Boxanagar Assembly constituency, a Muslim majority seat, in Sepahijala district last year. “The Opposition is still trying to instil fear in the minds of Muslims, but this tactic will fail,” he stated.
