AgartalaDentist-turned-politician Manik Saha, who led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in Tripura consecutively, is set to become the chief minister of the northeastern state for the second time. Prior to becoming the chief minister, Saha was a Rajya Sabha MP and the party’s chief in the state. The change of power took place last year when Saha replaced Biplab Kumar Deb to lead the party in the assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeastern state.
Saha, a dental surgeon, had joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting the Congress. He was made the party chief in 2020 and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March 2022. Manik Saha will take oath as the chief minister of the northeastern state for the second time on Wednesday, following the BJP’s victory in the recently held Tripura assembly elections.
Manik Saha will take oath as the Chief Minister of Tripura for the second consecutive term at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala today.
PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda will attend the swearing-in ceremony.
(File photo) pic.twitter.com/5PWvyeDano– ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda will attend the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow. The mega event will be held at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala.
Amit Shah and Nadda have reached Agartala on Tuesday itself. He was received by Manik Saha at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. Chief Minister-designate Manik Saha met Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya on Monday and staked claim to form the government in the northeastern state. Earlier on Monday, a general meeting of all newly elected BJP MLAs was held, in which Manik Saha’s name was unanimously proposed for the leader of the legislature party.
“Gratitude to all for electing me as the leader of the Legislature Party. Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi ji, we will work together to make ‘Unnat Tripura, Shreshtha Tripura’ and ensure welfare of all sections of people.” Saha tweeted after the meeting. Manik Saha submitted his resignation to Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya at Raj Bhavan in Agartala on Friday.
The governor asked him to continue in office till the new government takes oath. Talking to the media, Saha said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also participate in the program to be held on March 8. This time it will be at Swami Vivekananda Maidan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present at the function.
He further said that BJP President JP Nadda will also visit the state to take part in the swearing-in ceremony. “Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also be present during the swearing-in ceremony along with several other party leaders,” he said.
He said that many Chief Ministers of BJP ruled states would also attend the event. The BJP has returned to power in the state after securing an absolute majority. According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 percent.
Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while the Congress got three seats. The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat. This time the CPI(M) in the Northeast and the Congress, arch-rivals in Kerala, came together to oust the BJP from power.
The combined vote share of the CPI(M) and the Congress stood at around 33 per cent. Chief Minister Saha defeated Congress’s Ashish Kumar Saha from Town Bordovali seat by a margin of 1,257 votes. The majority mark in the 60-member Tripura Assembly is 31. The BJP, which had not won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, came to power in the last election in alliance with the IPFT and ousted the ruling Left Front. In the border state since 1978 for 35 years.
BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally IPFT on six seats. But both the allies had fielded their candidates in Ampinagar constituency in Gomti district. Left contested on 47 seats and Congress on 13 seats respectively.
Out of total 47 seats, CPM contested 43 seats while Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each. The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for almost four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993, when the Congress was in power, but now the two parties have joined hands with the intention of ousting the BJP.