Nitish Dey Quits BJP Ahead of Municipal Polls, Announces Retirement from Active Politics

Kailashahar, November 4: The BJP suffered a setback ahead of the Kailashahar Municipal Council elections as veteran politician Nitish Dey announced his resignation from the party on Wednesday. A five-time councillor, outgoing Vice-Chairman of the Municipal Council and member of the BJP Tripura State Committee, Dey made the announcement at a press conference held at Unakoti Kalakshetra in Kailashahar. Expressing strong resentment against the party leadership, he also declared his decision to retire permanently from active politics.

At the press conference, Dey levelled several allegations against local MLA and Minister Tinku Roy and members of his family. Describing the minister as an outsider, he alleged that Kailashahar had been controlled by leaders from outside the area since 1978, who had exploited its resources. He named former minister and then Chandipur MLA Tapan Chakraborty, who represented the constituency during the Left regime, and Tinku Roy, who became a minister in 2023, alleging that both had failed to ensure the desired development of Kailashahar and had instead contributed to the area's decline.

Dey also accused Minister Tinku Roy of involvement in an alleged illegal tender-fixing and commission racket involving government contract works worth crores of rupees. Claiming that the matter was widely known among the people of Kailashahar, he further alleged that commission-based dealings and irregularities had become prevalent in the Municipal Council and various development projects. No response from the minister or the other parties concerned was available regarding the allegations made at the press conference.

Explaining his decision to leave the BJP, Dey alleged that family-dominated politics had taken hold in Kailashahar, while ordinary party workers were being ignored. He claimed that the party was being run according to the decisions of a particular family and a handful of individuals, with little importance given to the views of Mandal presidents and local leaders.

He also expressed resentment over what he described as the neglect of veteran and dedicated party workers who had worked hard to bring about the change of government in 2018. According to Dey, their contributions were no longer being recognised by the party leadership.

Describing the past five years as the most difficult period of his political career, Dey alleged that he had faced repeated accusations and internal factional disputes within the party. Despite repeatedly bringing the issues to the attention of the leadership, he claimed, no action had been taken and no solution had been reached. He said he could no longer continue in politics at the cost of his self-respect after serving the party with sincerity for years.