Kishor Barman, BJP MLA from Nalchar constituency in Sepahijala district, was sworn in as a cabinet minister in the Tripura government on Thursday.
The oath-taking ceremony took place at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan in Agartala, where Governor N. Indrasena Reddy administered the oath of office and secrecy.
With Barman’s induction, the strength of Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha’s council of ministers has now increased to 12, the maximum permissible under the constitutional cap for the 60-member Tripura Legislative Assembly.
The cabinet expansion comes a day after CM Saha met Governor Reddy, reportedly to finalise the induction plan.
This is the first cabinet reshuffle since the BJP returned to power for a second consecutive term in the March 2023 assembly elections.
The BJP-IPFT alliance secured 32 seats, retaining its majority in the Assembly. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), the BJP’s pre-poll ally, holds one cabinet berth through its lone MLA, Sukla Charan Noatia.
The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), which emerged as the principal opposition party in 2023 with 13 seats in its debut election, joined the BJP-led coalition government in 2024.
With TMP’s entry, three of its members have been accommodated in the council of ministers, reflecting the BJP’s strategic efforts to bridge the tribal-non-tribal divide in the state.
The rest of the cabinet comprises BJP legislators, with portfolios distributed across key sectors, including finance, home, health, agriculture, and rural development.
Barman’s inclusion is also seen as a move to bolster the BJP’s base in Sepahijala district, which borders Bangladesh and plays a crucial role in both electoral dynamics and cross-border coordination.