The First Coalition Government in Tripura was led by ____.

Concept: A coalition government is one formed jointly by two or more political parties or groups that together command a legislative majority, as distinct from a single-party majority government formed by one party alone.

Application: Tripura's post-statehood political timeline runs as follows.

1. Sukhmoy Sen Gupta (Indian National Congress) headed a single-party Congress ministry from 20 March 1972 to 1 April 1977, the state's first ministry after attaining full statehood.

2. When that ministry fell in 1977, Prafulla Kumar Das of the Congress for Democracy (CFD) formed the next ministry, drawing support from more than one party grouping, and held office from 1 April 1977 to 26 July 1977 -- this is Tripura's first coalition ministry.

3. That ministry was followed by Radhika Ranjan Gupta of the Janata Party, who headed a further multi-party ministry from 26 July 1977 to 4 November 1977, after which President's Rule was imposed.

4. President's Rule ended on 5 January 1978, when Nripen Chakraborthy of the CPI(M) formed a Left Front coalition ministry that went on to govern Tripura for over a decade across multiple terms.

Cross-check: Comparing each option against this timeline confirms Prafulla Kumar Das uniquely fits "the first coalition government":

• Sukhmoy Sen Gupta's ministry (1972-1977) was a single-party Congress ministry, and it preceded any coalition -- it fails on both counts.

• Prafulla Kumar Das's ministry (April-July 1977) was the first ministry after Sen Gupta's to draw on more than one party grouping, making it the first coalition government.

• Radhika Ranjan Gupta's ministry (July-November 1977) was also a multi-party ministry, but it took office after Das's, so it cannot be the first.

• Nripen Chakraborthy's Left Front ministry (from January 1978) was likewise a coalition, but it formed after Das's and Gupta's ministries, ruling it out as the first.

Result: The First Coalition Government in Tripura was led by Prafulla Kumar Das.