Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), April 8: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Member of Parliament Bishnu Pada Ray met BJP National President Nitin Nabin at the party headquarters in New Delhi and submitted a charter of demands covering a range of pending development and policy issues concerning the islands.
According to the MP’s office, the meeting was held following instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office. The memorandum submitted by Ray sought intervention on several long-pending demands, including a domicile law for the islands, establishment of a Central University, higher budgetary support, improvement in the health sector, compensation for farmers affected by submerged land, financial support for Panchayati Raj Institutions, regularisation of DRM workers, constitution of an OBC Commission, issues linked to the Great Nicobar project, and implementation of promises made in the 2024 general election manifesto.
The MP’s office said the BJP national president assured necessary coordination and follow-up to facilitate early action on the issues raised. Ray also extended an invitation to Nabin to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Ray is a four-time Lok Sabha member from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, having won the seat in 1999, 2009, 2014 and again in 2024. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands constituency is the Union Territory’s only Lok Sabha seat, making him its sole elected representative in the lower house of Parliament. That gives his interventions particular significance, as he is the single parliamentary voice carrying the islands’ demands to New Delhi. 
His latest term has also reinforced his political relevance both within Parliament and within the BJP’s island outreach. PRS data for the current Lok Sabha shows Ray with 90 percent attendance and 25 questions raised so far, while his recent public positioning has continued to centre on island-specific issues such as education, health, land, welfare and administrative reforms. His meeting with the BJP national president is likely to be seen as part of that continuing effort to push local concerns through both parliamentary and party channels.
