Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday won the bypoll from Town Bardowali seat by a margin of 6,104, according to the Election Commission. BJP candidate Chief Minister got 17,181 votes, which is 51.63 percent of the total voter turnout. His nearest rival is Ashish Kumar Saha of Congress. Received 11,077 votes or 33.29 percent of the total votes, The Left Front was ranked third as Forward Bloc candidate Raghunath Sarkar secured 3,376 votes (10.15 per cent).
“Those who voted for me, I thank them. It is a victory for BJP workers. I expected the gap to be a little higher. However, the results prove the understanding between the CPI(M) and the Congress. We are the same. Will work accordingly. In future, but people did not take this understanding well,” the chief minister told reporters.
“We have seen post-election violence for many years, so we have urged people to stay away from such things. People’s trust is the main factor, and we have to see that they do not face any problem. I will also request the opposition parties to maintain peace,” he said.
Rajya Sabha MP Manik Saha was appointed as the Chief Minister of the state last month following the sudden resignation of the then CM Biplab Deb. He had to win this by-election to remain the Chief Minister.
According to the rules, after being elected to the assembly, he will now resign from the post of MP.
The bypoll to Town Bardowali seat was held after Ashish Kumar Saha resigned as a BJP MLA and joined the Congress in February.