Manik Saha sworn-in as new Tripura CM

Agartala, May 15: Tripura BJP President Manik Saha was sworn-in on Sunday as the the 12th Chief Minister of the state just a day after Biplab Kumar Deb resigned from the top post. The 69-year-old dental surgeon-turned-politician was administered the oath of office by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya during a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan here.

No other MLAs from the BJP or its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), took oath on Sunday. When asked about the other ministers, the new Chief Minister did not disclose anything. Main opposition CPI-M led Left Front, Congress and other political parties boycotted the swering-in-ceremony alleging large scale political attacks.

Saha, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the lone seat in Tripura on March 31, has to be elected to the state Assembly within the next six months. Father of two, Saha, who is also a professor at the Tripura Medical College and B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital in Agartala as well as the President of the Tripura Cricket Association, joined the BJP in 2015 and became the state party President in 2021.

The election to the 60-member Tripura Assembly is due in January-February 2023. Since May 2019, Tripura had witnessed waves of revolt by dissident BJP MLAs and leaders against Deb, who also subsequently announced to obtain a public mandate by calling a public meeting. Though the move was later cancelled following the intervention of the Central leaders.

Deb, 51, became the Chief Minister on March 9, 2018, after the BJP-IPFT alliance came to power by defeating the Left Front in the Assembly elections, ending the latter's 25-year rule. Amid open resentment by a section of the BJP MLAs and leaders, the cabinet expansion took place on August 31 last year, which saw the induction of three ministers. Three BJP MLAs, Sudip Roy Barman, Ashis Kumar Saha, Ashish Das, quit the party following open differences with Deb.