Rough start a fleeting memory, Tripura CM Manik Saha begins steadily in second term

Saha faced internal rebellion and combated anti-incumbency in his first 10 months as CM. Now, given free rein by the party leadership, he seems more assured.

Tripura, Manik Saha, Tripura Assembly elections

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha takes part in a procession celebrating his victory in the Assembly elections, in Agartala. (PTI, file)

Considered a political greenhorn till not too long ago, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha is fast emerging as one of the BJP’s strongest leaders in the region. And after a tough 10 months in his first tenure as CM, Saha has hit the ground running this time around, illustrating how his confidence has increased by leaps and bounds since the election victory earlier this month.

Saha was the righthand man of his predecessor Biplab Kumar Deb — now a Rajya Sabha MP — before the party leadership, with an eye on the Assembly elections, elevated him to the CM’s chair last May. That the decision was not a widely popular one within the party or the government was apparent as Fire and Cooperative Minister Ramprasad Paul was filmed kicking, screaming, and hurling chairs at senior BJP leaders. Another of Saha’s detractors, Ratan Lal Nath, compared Deb with Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, and Albert Einstein, among others.

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That Saha’ was not in a strong position was apparent as Paul was retained in the Cabinet despite his actions. Now, 10 months down the line, the political situation has changed completely and Paul is out of the state Cabinet and Saha has all the power to call the shots.

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After assuming office, Saha rushed to New Delhi to meet President Droupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Defence Minister Rajnath Minister, among others. At the meeting with the PM, he is said to have raised different issues related to the development of Tripura and was assured of “all possible assistance”.

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The state police in recent weeks have stepped up activities to combat the influx of undocumented migrants from Bangladesh, drug trafficking, and maintain the overall law-and-order situation that took a hit amid incidents of political violence after results were declared on March 2. Saha has also expressed his firm intention to put an end to underage marriages, saying that if needed his government will introduce regulations mandating couples to seek the government’s permission before they get married.

Though his predecessor Deb led the BJP as it toppled the Left bastion of Tripura in 2018, the task that Saha faced this time was no less tough. The CM proved his detractors wrong and emerged as the winner despite a degree of anti-incumbency and former rivals Left and the Congress uniting against it. Though there was talk after the results that the party was mulling over bringing in Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik as the CM, the party ultimately stuck with the leader who helped them win a second term in power. Saha is among the BJP CMs in the Northeast to have secured a second term for the party, joining the ranks of Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh’s Pema Khandu, and N Biren Singh of Manipur.

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