Manik Saha: Man who steered BJP to power again in Tripura

Agartala (Tripura) [India], March 7 : Manik Saha, a dentist-turned-politician who steered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come to power in Tripura for a consecutive term, is all set to become the Chief Minister of the northeast state for the second time.
Prior to becoming the Chief Minister, Saha was a Rajya Sabha MP and chief of the party in the state.
The change of guard took place last year when Saha replaced Biplab Kumar Deb to steer the party in the Assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeast state.
Saha, a dental surgeon, joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March 2022.
After BJP's victory in the recently-held Tripura Assembly polls, Manik Saha will take oath as the Chief Minister of the northeast state for the second time on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda will attend the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow. The mega event will be held at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala.
Amit Shah and Nadda already arrived in Agartala on Tuesday. They were received at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport by Manik Saha.
Chief Minister-designate Manik Saha on Monday called on Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to stake claim to form the government in the Northeast state.
Earlier on Monday, there was a general meeting of all the newly elected BJP MLAs who unanimously proposed the name of Manik Saha for the leader of the legislature party.
"My sincere gratitude to all for electing me as the leader of the legislature party. Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi ji, we shall work together to build 'Unnata Tripura, Shrestha Tripura' and ensure the welfare of all sections of people," tweeted Saha after the meeting.
Manik Saha on Friday submitted his resignation to Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya at Raj Bhavan in Agartala. The Governor asked him to continue until the new government is sworn in.
Speaking to the media, Saha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the event on March 8.
"Last time, the oath-taking ceremony took place at Assam Rifles Ground and this time it will take place at the Swami Vivekananda Maidan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain present in the ceremony," Saha told reporters.
He further said that BJP president JP Nadda will also visit the state to take part in the oath-taking ceremony. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also be there during the Oath taking ceremony along with various other leaders of the party," he added.
He said several chief ministers of BJP-ruled states will also join the event.
BJP returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.
According to the Election Commission of India, BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat.
The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power. The combined vote share of CPI(M) and Congress remained around 33 per cent.
Chief Minister Saha defeated Congress' Asish Kumar Saha from the Town Bordowali seat by a margin of 1,257 votes. In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 31.
The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.
The BJP contested on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district.
The Left contested 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993 when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power.