Bishnu Pada Ray

![Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, MP of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, addressing inauguration][float-right] Bishnu Pada Ray (born 19 June 1950) is an Indian politician affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who serves as the Member of Parliament for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands constituency in the Lok Sabha, having secured election in the 13th (1999), 15th (2009), 16th (2014), and 18th (2024) terms.^[1] Born in Nalanda, 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, he holds a B.Com. (Honours) degree from Anand Mohan College, University of Calcutta, and has pursued a career as a social worker prior to and alongside his political roles.^[1][2] Ray's parliamentary tenure has emphasized infrastructure development, public services, and sectoral advancements in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including enhancements in roads, shipping, health, education, power supply, and employment opportunities.^[3] He has served on key committees such as those on Defence, Estimates, and Home Affairs, contributing to legislative oversight in national security and administrative matters.^[1] With no recorded criminal cases in his election affidavits, Ray maintains a profile focused on constituency welfare amid the unique challenges of island governance.^[2]

Background

Early Life and Education

Bishnu Pada Ray was born on 19 June 1950 in Nalanda, District 24 Parganas, West Bengal, to parents Ramashish Ray and Jasoda Ray.^[1] Ray pursued higher education in Kolkata, earning a B.Com. (Hons.) degree from Anand Mohan College.^[1]

Political Career

Entry into Politics and Party Affiliation

Bishnu Pada Ray, born on June 19, 1950, in Nalanda, 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, and educated with a B.Com. (Hons.) from Anand Mohan College, Kolkata, relocated to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where he worked as a social worker prior to entering politics.^[4] Ray's entry into politics occurred in 1999 when he affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was selected as its candidate for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha constituency, marking his transition from social work to formal political engagement.^[4] The BJP, at the time expanding its footprint in remote union territories, positioned candidates like Ray to advocate for localized development amid the islands' strategic isolation and historical underinvestment under previous administrations dominated by the Indian National Congress. This affiliation established Ray as an early proponent of the BJP's emphasis on national security and infrastructure priorities for the archipelago, contrasting with welfare-oriented approaches, though direct statements on his personal motivations remain undocumented in available records.^[4] His initial involvement highlighted the party's strategy to integrate settler communities from mainland India into its organizational base in peripheral regions.

Electoral History

Bishnu Pada Ray first contested the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha constituency in the 1999 general election as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, securing 51,821 votes against the Indian National Congress (INC) incumbent Manoranjan Bhakta's 52,365 votes, resulting in a narrow defeat by a margin of 544 votes out of 147,698 total votes polled.^[5] This close outcome highlighted the competitive dynamics between settler-dominated Andaman segments and tribal-influenced Nicobar areas, where turnout and voting patterns often sway results by small margins.^[5] Ray secured his initial victory in the 2009 general election, winning the seat as the BJP nominee against the INC candidate.^[6] He defended the seat successfully in the 2014 general election, polling 90,969 votes as the BJP candidate to emerge victorious.^[7] The BJP did not field Ray in 2019, instead nominating Vishal Jolly, who lost to INC's Kuldeep Rai Sharma by approximately 14,000 votes amid higher turnout in Nicobar tribal segments favoring the opposition.^[8] In the 2024 general election held on April 19, Ray reclaimed the seat for the BJP, achieving a 50.58% vote share compared to INC opponent Kuldeep Rai Sharma's 38.54%, securing victory by a 12.04 percentage point margin in a contest marked by improved BJP performance in Andaman districts.^{[9] [10]} This win represented Ray's third term as MP from the constituency, underscoring his persistence in a seat characterized by alternating outcomes influenced by local issues like development disparities between island groups and fluctuating voter turnout, which reached around 65% in recent polls.^[9]

Parliamentary Terms and Roles

Bishnu Pada Ray first entered the Lok Sabha as a member of the 13th Lok Sabha in 1999, representing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands constituency. During this term, he served on the Standing Committee on Transport and Tourism from 1999 to 2000, focusing on procedural oversight related to infrastructure and connectivity issues pertinent to island territories.^[1] Ray's subsequent terms included the 15th Lok Sabha (2009–2014) and 16th Lok Sabha (2014–2019), where his committee roles shifted toward broader administrative and developmental scrutiny. In the 15th Lok Sabha, he was appointed to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs on 31 August 2009, the Government Assurances Committee on 23 September 2009, and the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 23 September 2009. In the 16th Lok Sabha, he joined the Standing Committee on Rural Development from 3 January 2012 to 2 April 2012 and from 31 August 2012 to 18 May 2014, as well as the Committee on Papers Laid on the Table from 1 September 2014 onward. These assignments involved reviewing government assurances, rural policy implementation, and parliamentary documentation, aligning with the union territory's needs for welfare and administrative accountability.^[1] Re-elected to the 18th Lok Sabha in June 2024, Ray's roles have emphasized national security and fiscal matters, reflecting an evolution from early transport-focused duties to defense and home affairs oversight amid growing strategic concerns for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He currently serves on the Standing Committee on Home Affairs since June 2024, the Estimates Committee since 14 August 2024, the Defence Committee since 26 September 2024, and the Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture since June 2024.^[1] In terms of legislative participation, Ray's record demonstrates steady procedural engagement. During the 16th Lok Sabha, he contributed to 33 debates and raised 100 questions. In the 18th Lok Sabha, his attendance stands at 89% across sessions (including 100% in the Monsoon Session 2025 and Budget Session 2024), with participation in 5 debates and 17 questions raised, though no private member's bills introduced.^[11][12]

Policy Positions and Contributions

Focus on Andaman and Nicobar Development

Bishnu Pada Ray has prioritized infrastructure enhancements in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, advocating for road connectivity improvements amid geographical isolation that exacerbates logistical challenges. In September 2025, he urged the early sanction of Phase-II Central Road Fund (CRF) works, comprising 40 projects valued at an unspecified amount to upgrade state highways linking jetties and rural areas, addressing long-pending gaps in inter-island access.^[13] The central government approved ₹49.98 crore for 90 road works across the islands in the same month, including upgrades to National Highway 4 (NH-4) and the Baratang Bridge, following Ray's coordination with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who intervened to accelerate stalled segments measuring 31.12 km for the bridge.^[14][15] These efforts build on BJP-led central initiatives, contrasting with Ray's earlier critiques of pre-2014 Congress governance, which he attributed to systemic neglect resulting in underdeveloped trunk roads and ferry services, though specific shipping delay metrics from that era remain undocumented in public records.^[16] In health and education, Ray has pushed for localized solutions to reduce dependency on mainland referrals, exacerbated by the archipelago's remoteness. He advocated for tying private hospitals to the Ayushman Bharat scheme in October 2025 to minimize unnecessary evacuations, while inaugurating a new Health and Wellness Centre at Jarawa Creek, Baratang, in September 2025 to enhance primary care in underserved areas.^[17][18] For education, Ray sought corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from the Union government in August 2025 for remote and backward regions, aiming to bridge gaps in school infrastructure where enrollment data shows persistent disparities due to isolation.^[19] Employment initiatives include his September 2025 appeal to regularize approximately 12,000 daily-rated, contractual, and outsourced workers in the Union Territory administration, linking it to BJP's emphasis on job security amid rising local unemployment rates influenced by limited industrial bases.^[20] These measures have yielded incremental employment through project-linked hires, though causal attribution to governance shifts requires noting pre-existing administrative frameworks. Ray has highlighted bureaucratic inefficiencies, particularly in District Planning Committees (DPCs), intervening in September 2025 to expose procedural lapses that delayed draft plan preparations and led to boycotts in South Andaman meetings, urging stricter rule adherence to prioritize local needs like power reliability.^[21][22] Power sector advocacy includes his October 2025 appeal against proposed tariff hikes and concerns over reduced allocations—from ₹882 crore to ₹666 crore—potentially straining grid stability in diesel-dependent islands.^[23][24] While BJP-era pushes have facilitated sanctions, challenges persist: quarry shortages halted projects in Little Andaman by September 2025, and power crises underscore implementation delays not fully resolved by policy alone, reflecting causal constraints from supply chain vulnerabilities rather than partisan intent.^[25] Empirical gains, such as enhanced road access reducing travel times in select corridors, demonstrate progress, but comprehensive metrics on connectivity improvements remain limited to administrative reports.^[26]

Key Interventions in Parliament

In a Lok Sabha debate on August 9, 2024, Bishnu Pada Ray criticized Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for maintaining silence amid violence targeting Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina's government, asserting that Gandhi "will not open his mouth" on the issue despite his vocal stance on domestic matters. Ray invoked his family's personal history of fleeing religious persecution in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1946 to highlight what he described as the opposition's selective concern for minority protections, contrasting it with the BJP's consistent advocacy for Hindu rights globally. This intervention was praised by BJP supporters for exposing perceived hypocrisy but drew rebuttals from Congress members, who accused Ray of diverting attention from internal Indian security challenges like Manipur.^[27][28] Ray has positioned himself as a defender of BJP-led anti-corruption initiatives, participating in debates urging swift implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, while attributing prior delays to the Congress government's reluctance to empower independent oversight mechanisms that could scrutinize ruling party actions. In these discussions, he emphasized first-principles accountability, arguing that strong institutional checks prevent systemic graft, a rationale he extended to national development by linking anti-corruption to efficient resource allocation for infrastructure and security. On national security matters, Ray raised targeted questions in Parliament regarding enhancements to defense postures in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, querying the Defence Ministry on district-wise measures to bolster coastal vigilance and counter potential threats from maritime adversaries, outcomes of which included government assurances for increased patrols and surveillance. He tied these to broader strategic imperatives, advocating for integrated development-security frameworks that protect vulnerable island populations, including tribal communities under the Andaman and Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956, without compromising national sovereignty.^[29][11] During the discussion on Supplementary Demands for Grants on December 16, 2024, Ray intervened to support allocations for rural development and skill enhancement programs, defending their efficacy against opposition critiques by citing empirical improvements in employment metrics and infrastructure under BJP governance, while questioning Congress-era inefficiencies in similar schemes. These positions reflect his pattern of defending government policies through data-driven rebuttals, often linking constituency-specific needs like A&N's remote logistics to nationwide policy realism.^[30]

Controversies

2024 Post-Election Remarks on Voters

In June 2024, shortly after securing victory in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lok Sabha constituency, BJP MP Bishnu Pada Ray addressed a public gathering where he remarked on the low voter support for his party in the Nicobar Islands, stating, "No votes from Nicobar, now your days will be bad," and warning that residents there should anticipate consequences, including potential investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).^[31][32] The video of the speech, which surfaced online around June 5 but gained widespread attention by June 20, depicted Ray urging Nicobar islanders to reflect on their electoral choices, emphasizing that "those who didn’t vote for us, what will happen to them, they should think."^[33][34] The remarks triggered immediate backlash from opposition parties, particularly Congress, which condemned them as threats to democratic participation and an abuse of elected authority against non-supporters, especially in tribal-dominated Nicobar where voter preferences often reflect longstanding community ties and localized grievances rather than national party lines.^[32] Critics highlighted the ethical tension, arguing that post-election intimidation contravenes norms of representative governance, though no formal legal complaints or investigations were reported by mid-2024.^[31] In response, Ray clarified that his statements targeted individuals allegedly involved in corruption during the prior Congress administration who had misled Nicobarese voters, not the tribal electorate itself, framing the comments as accountability measures rather than personal vendettas.^[32] Vote data from the 2024 elections underscores the context: while Ray defeated Congress incumbent Kuldeep Rai Sharma by approximately 24,000 votes overall (1,26,362 to 1,02,180), Nicobar's tribal areas showed markedly lower BJP support, consistent with historical patterns where indigenous communities prioritize issues like land rights and infrastructure over partisan loyalty, potentially fueling perceptions of ingratitude or retaliation motives in Ray's rhetoric.^[10] This disparity did not alter the constituency outcome but amplified narratives of targeted reprisal, though Ray's defense shifted focus to anti-corruption probes, debunking claims of blanket voter threats by attributing low turnout or opposition votes to manipulative local influences rather than outright rejection.^[32] No disciplinary action from BJP leadership followed, reflecting internal tolerance for blunt regional politicking amid broader electoral gains.^[31]

2025 Lok Sabha Outburst and Internal Party Tensions

On March 11, 2025, during a Lok Sabha session, Bishnu Pada Ray, the BJP MP from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, lost his temper and shouted at fellow party colleagues, directing his ire primarily at Chief Whip Sanjay Jaiswal.^{[35] [36]} The outburst, captured in session proceedings, prompted immediate intervention by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju to restore order.^{[37] [38]} Opposition members seized the moment to jab at the BJP, portraying the incident as evidence of fraying internal discipline within the ruling party.^{[35] [37]} The episode highlighted interpersonal frictions, with Ray's frustration reportedly stemming from procedural disagreements, though specifics on the trigger remained unelaborated in official accounts.^[36] Party insiders viewed it as a lapse in maintaining decorum essential for legislative cohesion, while critics argued it reflected broader tensions over enforcing loyalty amid dissent.^[38] Reports emphasized Rijiju's role in de-escalating, underscoring the whips' function in upholding party lines against public displays of discord.^[37] In August 2025, Ray escalated internal critiques by publicly warning that the BJP risked losing influence in Andaman and Nicobar due to local leaders' reluctance to engage with public grievances.^[39] On August 13, he accused state-level functionaries of evading constituency issues in favor of self-preservation, predicting electoral erosion if unaddressed.^[39] This statement, issued amid ongoing regional challenges, amplified perceptions of rifts between the MP and party apparatus, with Ray positioning himself as a defender of grassroots accountability.^[39] These incidents fueled discussions on balancing intraparty discipline with tolerance for regional voices, as evidenced by session videos and Ray's direct appeals.^{[36] [39]} Proponents of strict hierarchy cited them as loyalty tests necessary to counter opposition narratives, while detractors highlighted risks of stifling debate, potentially alienating peripheral units like Andaman's BJP cadre.^[37] No formal party sanctions followed, but the events underscored causal strains from centralized control versus localized imperatives.^[38]

Recent Activities

Infrastructure and Public Service Advocacy (2024–2025)

In the period following his 2024 re-election, Bishnu Pada Ray focused on accelerating infrastructure projects under the Central Road Fund (CRF), advocating for the early sanction of Phase-II works to enhance connectivity across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. On September 16, 2025, he expressed gratitude to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari while pressing for prompt approvals, emphasizing the need to address delays in road development that had persisted due to administrative bottlenecks.^[40] Earlier, on September 4, 2025, Ray urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to submit pending CRF road work estimates to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, highlighting how unresolved submissions were stalling essential upgrades.^[41] Ray's efforts extended to securing concrete advancements, including in-principle approval from Gadkari for 49 urban road projects on September 28, 2025, which aimed to improve intra-island mobility and economic access.^[42] Complementing this, he facilitated the resumption of land conversion and diversion processes on August 13, 2025, after a five-year halt imposed by the UT Administration on environmental grounds, enabling stalled construction in housing and infrastructure sectors.^[43] These initiatives aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party's national infrastructure agenda, leveraging central schemes to prioritize time-bound execution amid local resource constraints. On public services, Ray advocated against a proposed power tariff hike in April 2025, appealing directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, citing the islands' reliance on high-cost diesel generation and the burden on residents.^[44] In health, he flagged severe deficiencies at Mayabunder District Hospital on July 10, 2025, demanding immediate interventions to address shortages in staff, equipment, and facilities that compromised care in North and Middle Andaman.^[45] For education and employment, he highlighted multi-sector boosts, including skill programs tied to tourism and shipping enhancements, as part of broader development pushes reviewed in meetings with central officials.^[3] Ray also exposed administrative lapses, notably on September 23, 2025, criticizing the failure to properly convene District Planning Committee meetings, which violated statutory requirements under the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments and impeded grassroots planning for roads, health, and power allocation.^[46] He linked these shortcomings to broader governance delays contrasting with central BJP-led timelines, such as CRF Phase-II's budgeted expansions targeting completion by fiscal 2026.^[47] Additionally, on September 13, 2025, he pressed for resolution of quarry permit crises in Little Andaman, which had halted aggregate supply for road and public works projects.^[25] These advocacies, often amplified via public meetings and social media, underscored empirical progress metrics like approved project counts while critiquing local execution gaps.^[48]