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Putting all speculation to rest, the BJP on Monday announced that Manik Saha would return as the chief minister of Tripura, with the party’s legislature unit choosing him unanimously.
A surprise choice for CM when he was picked last year, after the abrupt removal of Biplab Kumar Deb, Saha on Monday faced no opposition.
The BJP returned to power in the results declared on March 2, winning 32 seats out of 60 for a simple majority on its own. While the party sought votes for a “Modi-Manik Saha sarkar” again, it had not clearly stated that Saha was its CM face.
While Union Minister of State for Social Empowerment and Justice Pratima Bhoumik, who contested and won from Dhanpur Assembly constituency, was touted as a possible CM – as part of the BJP’s women-centric drive – on Monday, Bhoumik was the one who proposed Saha’s name.
A dental surgeon, who still assists sometimes in surgeries, Saha had earlier been seen as a loyalist of Biplab Deb, and won his first Assembly election only after becoming CM. However, after taking over, Saha came into his own, developing the image of a “gentleman politician”, in contrast to the hooliganism that had come to mark Deb’s tenure.
Assam Transport and Excise Minister Parimal Shuklabaidya, who is also a prabhari of the BJP for Tripura, told reporters that Bhoumik had proposed Saha’s name, and it had been supported by all the 32 MLAs.
The CM-designate later met Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to stake claim for forming the government.
