BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 24th November 2025: The simmering factional tension within the Tripura unit of the BJP has once again spilled into the open—this time in the Kamalasagar Assembly constituency—after a dramatic public confrontation between local MLA Antara Deb Sarkar and TIDC Chairman Nabadal Banik.
The flashpoint occurred during the inauguration of a football tournament at Matinagar on Sunday. According to eyewitnesses, MLA Antara Deb Sarkar arrived at the venue visibly upset after noticing that her photograph was missing from the event’s promotional flex banners. The banners prominently displayed images of the Chief Minister, the Sports Minister, the state BJP president, and TIDC Chairman and rising youth leader Nabadal Banik.
Taking the microphone on stage, the MLA openly questioned the organizers, demanding to know why the local representative had been excluded. In a video that later went viral on social media, she was heard saying, “Who is Nabadal Banik here? I want all the guests on the stage. Why is the Sabhadhipati leaving? Are you leading everything today? You have organized a match—where is the photo of the MLA? Is the MLA dead here?”
The incident has caused fresh embarrassment for the ruling party, exposing an internal power tussle that has persisted since the last Assembly elections.The roots of the dispute stretch back to the BJP’s decision to field Antara Deb Sarkar from Kamalasagar—traditionally a CPI(M) stronghold. Despite initial resistance from sections of the party’s local unit, she won convincingly in 2023 and gradually strengthened her support base.
Meanwhile, Nabadal Banik, backed by former Mandal president Subir Chowdhury, emerged as an influential youth leader active across multiple pockets of Kamalasagar. His growing involvement in organizational activities and public events reportedly caused friction, with the MLA feeling overshadowed.
The rivalry surfaced earlier as well—Banik hosted a football tournament in Matinagar last year, after which the MLA organized her own event in Madhupur. Sunday’s confrontation appears to be another chapter in this ongoing turf battle within the constituency.
