Agartala, Feb 3 (IANS): Former Tripura BJP chief Ronajoy Kumar Deb has resigned from the party after being denied a ticket for the February 18 state polls.

Ronajoy Kumar Deb was BJP's Tripura Pradesh President for five years from 2001.

In his letter to state party president Biplab Kumar Deb, he said: "Since the party has decided not to nominate me from the Bagbasa Assembly constituency (in northern Tripura) in the assembly elections... I have decided to resign from the party."

Deb had written his resignation letter on January 27 but released it to the media on Saturday.

Terming the resignation as "unfortunate and unexpected", BJP spokesman Mrinal Kanti Deb said he had joined the party in early 80's and had worked a lot for it. "He should not quit the party over mere denial of party ticket."

The BJP is contesting 51 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly. It has left nine seats for its electoral ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal-based party agitating for creation of a separate state containing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council areas.

Meanwhile, state BJP President Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday claimed that around 1,635 supporters of ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist and other parties joined the BJP on Saturday.