Agartala, Jun 30 (IANS): In a political development, an MLA of the ruling Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a junior ally of the BJP, resigned on Tuesday night from the Assembly citing "personal ground".

With the resignation of the IPFT legislator Brishaketu Debbarma, the strength of membership of the tribal-based party reduced to seven while the dominant party BJP has 36 members in the 60 member house.

IPFT President Narendra Chandra Debbarma and party General Secretary Mangal Debbarma separately told IANS late on Tuesday night that they are unable to contact the young MLA as his phone was switched off.

Brishaketu Debbarma, 44, was elected to the assembly in the 2018 assembly polls from the Simna (ST) Assembly seat in western Tripura.

After writing the resignation letter to the state Assembly Speaker, the tribal leader gave copies of the letter to the IPFT President and Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

IPFT leaders close to Brishaketu Debbarma said that he may join the 'TIPRA Motha', which in the April 6 elections had captured the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) defeating the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance, the CPI-M and the Congress.

After the BJP-IPFT led alliance came to power in March 2018, crushing the CPI-M-led Left Front after 25 years, Tuesday night's political development is the first setback for the saffron party-led government.

The CPI-M won 16 seats in the last assembly polls in 2018.