Tripura: Manik Saha sworn-in as new CM, development tops agenda
Manik Saha, the BJP's Tripura unit state president, took oath as Tripura's Chief Minister (CM) on Sunday, with development and law and order high on his agenda. Governor SN Arya swore in Rajya Sabha MP Saha at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala. Former CM Biplab Deb was also present at the ceremony along with other BJP ministers, after he suddenly resigned on Saturday evening.
- Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been aggressively garnering support in the Tripura region, and Deb was apparently feeling the heat, reportedly leading to his resignation.
- As the Tripura CM, Saha will now lead the BJP's fight to retain the state in the upcoming 2023 state Assembly elections.
- Saha is considered a master strategist and is known for his grassroots politics in the state.
Saha stated that his main priority as Tripura's new CM would be to continue the developmental activities begun by the BJP-led state government under Deb and to strengthen the state's law and order situation. "We shall continue the work...and bring in development under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi... I shall work to ensure a strong law and order situation," said Saha.
Deputy CM Jishnu Dev Verma and Ram Prasad Paul, a minister, who protested Saha's appointment as the CM by breaking chairs at the BJP's legislative party meeting on Saturday, showed up minutes after the swearing-in ceremony ended. "This happens sometimes," Paul said when questioned if he stood by his protests. "This is a democratic party...Sab chalta hai...I am working for the party," he said.
Saha graduated from Lucknow's King George Medical College as a maxillofacial surgeon. Before joining the BJP in 2016, he was in the Congress party. In 2020, he was named the BJP's Tripura chief. With his clean image, he led the BJP to win all 13 municipal bodies in 2021. Saha is also the president of the Tripura Cricket Association and a renowned badminton player.
Deb was replaced after an RSS analysis was sent to the BJP's high command, indicating the party and government needed a change of guard, reported NDTV citing sources. According to reports, Deb proposed Saha as Tripura's next chief minister. Meanwhile, the opposition CPI(M) lawmakers boycotted Saha's swearing-in ceremony, claiming that the BJP's rule has resulted in "fascist-style violence" in the state.
Congratulations to Shri @DrManikSaha2 on taking oath as Tripura’s CM. Best wishes to him for a fruitful tenure. I am confident he will add vigour to the development journey of Tripura which began in 2018.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 15, 2022
