Agartala, December 28: The mortal remains of former Minister and BJP MLA Surajit Datta, who passed away on Wednesday night at a Kolkata hospital, arrived in Agartala today.
Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, along with other cabinet ministers, paid their respects to the late politician at the secretariat in Agartala on Thursday.
Subsequently, Surajit Datta’s body was taken to the assembly, where Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu, Opposition leader Animesh Debbarma, Minister Ratan Lal Nath, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, Gopal Chandra Roy, and other MLAs paid their tributes.
Aged 70, seven time MLA from Ramnagar constituency in Agartala, Datta served as a cabinet Minister in Tripura during the Congress-TUJS government from 1988 to 1993.
Then for a short period he joined TMC but after a stint he joined the BJP before the 2018 assembly election, securing victory as an MLA.
Earlier this year, he was re-elected for a second term with a BJP ticket from his home constituency, Ramnagar, in Agartala.
A very popular figure in politics, Datta had previously been elected multiple times from the same constituency with a Congress ticket, except in 2013 when he faced defeat against CPIM candidate Ratan Das.
Before joining the TMC, he held the position of Congress president in Tripura.
Facing health challenges in recent years, Datta fell critically ill at his residence on December 26, leading to hospitalization in a private hospital in Agartala.
As his health continued to deteriorate on Wednesday, he was airlifted to Kolkata for enhanced medical care, where he eventually passed away.
Chief Minister Saha, Opposition Leader Animesh Debbarma, and other senior leaders expressed their condolences.
Surajit Datta is survived by his wife, daughter, her family, and brothers.
