Biplab Kumar Deb

Biplab Kumar Deb (born 25 November 1971) is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Tripura. He has been the state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tripura since 7 January 2016 till 2018. He led the BJP to victory in the 2018 Legislative Assembly Election, defeating 25 years rule of the Left Front government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He took his oath as the 10th Chief Minister of Tripura on 9 March 2018.

Early life 
Biplab Deb was born on 25 November 1971 in Rajdhar Nagar village, Udaipur, Gomati district, Tripura. His parents had migrated to India as refugees from Chandpur District , East Pakistan during liberation war in 1971 before his birth. His father is a citizen of India since 27 June 1967. He spent his childhood and schooling days in Tripura, completing his graduation from Tripura University before shifting to New Delhi. He later returned to Tripura after an absence of 15 years.

Political career 
Biplab Deb was elected the President of Tripura state unit of BJP in January 2017 replacing Sudhndra Dasgupta who was BJP's longest serving state president. He started his political career by campaigning for the 2018 state election. He began his campaign from the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council which was believed to be the base of the then governing CPI(M). 

On 8 August 2017 Biplab Deb helped bring about the defection of Indian National Congress MLAs led by Sudip Roy Barman to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He led the local BJP into the 2018 Legislative Assembly election, attempting to gain office after 25 years of Left Front rule.

Chief Minister 
Deb contested the election from Banamalipur Constituency in Agartala and won by a margin of 9,549 votes, which was held by Indian National Congress MLA Gopal Roy. Deb led the Tripura's Election campaign and defeated Left Front after 25 years by winning 44 seats with his ally Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura out of possible 60 seats in Tripura.

Deb campaigned on the subject of youth employment opportunities, which he promised to improve if elected Chief Minister of Tripura. He also promised the employees of Tripura that he would implement the 7th Pay Commission once get elected. Deb brought in key BJP ministers from across India to campaign for the party in Tripura.

He took his oath as the 10th Chief Minister of Tripura on 9 March 2018.

Controversy
In April 2018, Deb stirred nationwide controversy by claiming that the internet and satellite have existed since the Mahabharata era. He also made controversial remarks on the Civil Service Examination, stating that only civil engineers should sit for civil service exams. He also stated that international beauty pageants were a farce, and claimed that the decision to award Miss World and Miss Universe titles to Indian women for five years in a row was market-driven rather than based on the beauty of the participants while questioning the rationale behind awarding Diana Hayden the Miss World pageant.

See also
2018 Tripura Legislative Assembly election
Biplab Kumar Deb ministry

References

1969 births
Living people
20th-century Bengalis
21st-century Bengalis
Chief Ministers of Tripura
Bharatiya Janata Party politicians from Tripura
12th Tripura Legislative Assembly members
Chief ministers from Bharatiya Janata Party
People from Gomati district