Saha: Manik Saha sworn in as 13th CM of Tripura with 8 ministers, 3 cabinet berths left vacant | India News
Union Interior Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, Chief Ministers of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Manipur Pema Khandu, Prem Singh Tamang and Nongthombam Biren Singh, among a number of other senior leaders also attended the swearing-in ceremony held in Vivekananda Stadium is here.
Satyadev Governor Narian Araya took the oath of office and kept it a secret for saha and eight cabinet members. However, three ministerial seats of the cabinet have been left vacant, according to sources, these seats will be filled by members of the second largest party. TIPRA Motha if they agree to join the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the inauguration of Dr Manik Saha in Agartala on Wednesday. (ANI)
BJP won 32 seats and its ally Tripura Indigenous Peoples Front (IPFT) won one while TIPRA Motha won 13 of 20 tribal-specific constituencies and emerged as an opposing faction. The political establishment pushed back the state’s 50-year-old dominant parties, the CPM and Congress. This election, both the CPM and the National Assembly reached an agreement to share seats to oppose the BJP but the Left ended in 11th place and the Congress had three seats in the 60-member house.
Dr Saha was sworn in as minister for the second time in just 10 months of legislative politics after defeating Ashis Kumar Saha, a staunch Congress figure from Agartala’s Bordowali constituency by 1,257 votes elected. Saha replaced incumbent CM Biplab Kumar Deb last May, who had to resign following massive opposition within the party.
“I am committed to the development of the state with any political considerations. I believe in a democracy, the people have the right to vote for the opposition parties and the coexistence of the ruling party and the opposition is the beauty of India, leading to development and prosperity. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Modiji, we will make Tripura a model country,” said Dr. Saha after becoming CM.
Previously, Saha won the poll against Ashis Kumar by more than 6,000 votes 40 days after becoming CM. The BJP regained its lost position under the brilliant leadership of Dr. Saha within six months and the wave of anti-incumbency was basically suppressed along with factional infighting, besides the activities development is also promoted.
However, Dr. Saha faced a tough challenge in retaining the CM’s post from the Union’s minister of state for social justice and empowerment Pratima Bhowmik. With the support of central leaders and Prime Minister Modi, Dr Saha became CM for the second time while Bhowmik could not even earn a cabinet seat.
The three incumbent ministers of the outgoing cabinet include two veteran BJP leaders – prison minister Ramprasad Paul and tribal welfare minister Rampada Jamatia – in addition to industry minister Manoj Kanti Deb who has been removed. from Saha’s cabinet despite winning the election due to their “poor track record”, the source BJP claimed.
On the other hand, senior leaders and outgoing cabinet ministers, Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Santana Chakma and Sushanta Chowdhury, has been sworn in as cabinet minister. Four new faces, including three first-time MLAs — BJP’s Tinku Roy and Bikash Debbarma and Shukla Charan Noatia of the IPFT — in addition to the second MLA Sudhanshu Das was inducted into the cabinet.
Notably, Dr. Saha has not assumed the position of deputy CM and has not yet distributed the portfolio among members. According to sources, the central leadership of the BJP convinced TIPRA Motha to join the government but its head, royal Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, did not agree to join until a written commitment was given. for a constitutional solution to their Greater Tipraland needs.
Debbarma claims that he has received many calls from the BJP to join the government but has turned them down to seek a constitutional solution to tribal problems. He said, “I made it clear in my opinion that if they couldn’t do anything for our request there would be no difference between TIPRA and IPFT. We want to end the misery of 14,000 indigenous people, not two or three ministerial stops.”
