The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday staked claim to form the government in Tripura after Manik Saha was elected as the party’s legislative leader. The new lawmakers will take oath of office on Wednesday.
Saha met Tripura governor Satyadeo Narain Arya after his endorsement by party MLAs, ending speculation whether he would get a second stint as chief minister after state election results were declared on March 2.
“Union minister of social justice and empowerment Pratima Bhowmik proposed Manik Saha’s name for the BJP legislative leader,” said Assam transport minister Parimal Shuklabaidya after the new BJP MLAs met at their election office in Agartala on Monday evening.
“We have selected our legislature party leader. All the MLAs have supported him. We met the governor to stake claim to form the government. The oath taking ceremony will be held on March 8,” state BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharya said.
Bhowmik, who won from Dhanpur constituency, home turf of former chief minister Manik Sarkar of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), was a contender for chief minister’s post.
The BJP won 32 out of 60 seats in the assembly and its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura ( IPFT) got one in the polls conducted on February 16. The TIPRA Motha, a regional party headed by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, emerged as the main opposition party, securing 13 seats. The CPI(M) and Congress got 11 and three seats, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP won 32 out of 60 seats in the assembly and its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura ( IPFT) got one in the polls conducted on February 16. The TIPRA Motha, a regional party headed by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma, emerged as the main opposition party, securing 13 seats. The CPI(M) and Congress got 11 and three seats, respectively.
{{/usCountry}}Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the oath taking ceremonies in Nagaland and Meghalaya on March 7, and the next day in Tripura.
Known as former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb’s close aide, Saha was named as chief minister last year, replacing Deb, who assumed the post in 2018. Saha was a Rajya Sabha parliamentarian when he was elected as leader of the BJP legislative party in the earlier assembly.
After Deb’s resignation a year before the state polls, Saha defeated Congress leader Asish Kumar Saha by 6,104 votes in Town Bardowali seat in the by-poll held last year. Asish Kumar Saha was a three-term MLA from the constituency. In the 2023 polls, Saha won from Town Bardowali seat again with a margin of 1,257 votes, defeating Asish Kumar Saha.
Saha was made in-charge of the 2018 membership drive started by the saffron party before the state went for polls.
After BJP’s victory in the 2018 assembly polls, he was given the responsibility of the booth management committee for the 2019 parliamentary elections. During his initial days in the party, he was in-charge of urban areas in the 2018 assembly polls. In 2020, he was made state president of the party, a post that was occupied by Deb for four years.
Born in 1953, Saha completed a Bachelor of Dental Studies programme from Government Dental College in Patna and later pursued Master of Dental Surgery in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from King Georges’ Medical College in Lucknow.
Besides being a practising dental surgeon, Saha was head of department of dental surgery at Tripura Medical College and Dr BR Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital at Hapania in Agartala.
He was honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution in dental surgery by the Indian Dental Association and Tripura government.