# Animesh Debbarma

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. 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.

## 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.
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
### 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.

### 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. In 2006, Debbarma separated from INPT and formed a new party National Conference of Tripura with the disaffected members of some party.

### Autonomous District Council

In 2020, he merged his party into INPT. Debbarma join Tipra Motha Party before the TTAADC election on 20 February 2021 and leave his parent party INPT. Animesh then contested the 2021 Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council Election and won from Kulai-Champahour constituency.
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. This was one of the largest majorities in that election.
Debbarma is the current Leader of Opposition of Tripura Legislative Assembly as TIPRA Motha became the official opposition with 13 legislators. On March 7, 2024, Debbarma resigned from the office of Leader of The Opposition to be sworn in as a cabinet minister.

## Electoral performance

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

## Positions held

* Cabinet Minister, Tripura Government (7 March-present)
* 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.

### 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.