Agartala, Sept. 12 -- Former Tripura legislator and TIPRA Motha leader Tapas Dey died at Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital in Agartala on Saturday following a prolonged illness, party leaders said. He was 80 years old when he passed away at Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, the state's first referral hospital.

Dey contested his first Assembly election in 1972 on a Congress ticket, when Tripura attained full statehood. He didn't contest since then but stayed loyal to the party even when a majority of Congress leaders and activists switched over to the BJP before it stormed to power in 2018.

Dey had close relations with the Tripura royals dating back to the period of late king Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma. Kirit Bikram was a former Congre...