Nisith Pramanik

Nisith Pramanik (born 17 January 1986) is an Indian politician from West Bengal who has served as the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports from 2021 to 2024 and a speaker of the Lok Sabha represented Cooch Behar, West Bengal from 2021 to 2024 as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was also a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly in 2021 from Dinhata Assembly constituency. He was a member of the Trinamool Congress until 2019.

Early life and education Nisith Pramanik was born on 17 January 1986 in Dinhata, located in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal state, India. His parents' ancestral home was in Harinathpur of Palashbari Upazila under Gaibandha district in Bangladesh. In 1968, his family migrated from Bangladesh and settled permanently in Dinhata, Cooch Behar. He passed class 10th from Bhetaguri Lal Bahadur Sastri Vidyapith Dinhata under the State Board in 2001. He was an assistant teacher at a primary school. He is married to Priyanka Pramanik, with whom he has two sons.

Political career President Shri Ram Nath Kovind administering the oath as Minister of State to Shri Nisith Pramanik, at a Swearing-in Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on July 7, 2021.

He was a member of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) before joining the BJP in March 2019. In July 2021, he became the Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of State, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in the Second Modi ministry after the Cabinet reshuffle. As of 2021, at the age of 35 he became the youngest minister in the Union Cabinet. Nisith Pramanik has been entrusted with the North Bengal Development as well as Sports and Youth Welfare portfolios in the newly formed Bengal government led by Suvendu Adhikari. A key BJP leader from North Bengal and former Union minister, Pramanik has played a significant role in strengthening the party's organisational base across the region. His appointment is seen as strategically important as the BJP looks to consolidate its influence in North Bengal while also focusing on youth engagement, sports infrastructure, and regional development initiatives.

Electoral performance

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Allegations

In July 2021, his nationality created debate in the Indian political circle after Congress Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora wrote a letter to the Prime Minister alleging Pramanik was a Bangladeshi national to the Prime Minister and requested an investigation into his nationality. Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also questioned his citizenship, while TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy also alleged he is a Bangladeshi, citing his Wikipedia page as a reference. The Leader of the Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Piyush Goyal, however, called the allegations baseless.