New Delhi: Dr. Manik Saha took oath as the new chief minister of Tripura on Sunday at Raj Bhawan, Agartala, news agency ANI reported. 69-year-old Saha became the 11th chief minister of Tripura today. With him, the swearing-in ceremony of the Council of Ministers also took place. The swearing-in ceremony took place at 11:30 am.
A professor of dental surgery, Dr. Saha was appointed as the leader of the BJP Legislature party hours after former CM Biplab Kumar Deb's resignation. Saha joined BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress and was appointed as party chief in 2020. In March this year, he was elected to Rajya Sabha.
Saha was chosen as the new CM of the northeastern state hours after Biplab Kumar Deb resigned from the post on Saturday evening. Deb who was sworn in as Tripura CM in 2018 told Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya that he had served the people of the state wholeheartedly while handing in his letter of resignation.
Post the ceremony, Saha told ANI that there is no political challenge for the party, and they will move forward with development.
"We will move forward with the development issue of PM Modi and the BJP. We'll also enhance law and order in the state along with resolving the issues of the people of Tripura. There's no political challenge for us," Saha was quoted as saying by ANI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Saha on his oath-taking ceremony. He wrote on Twitter, "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."
Tripura will go to the polls by March next year, so the sudden leadership change comes as a surprise to the people of the state, ANI reported.
Biplab Kumar Deb was sworn-in as the CM of Tripura in 2018 breaking the 25-year-rule of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in the state.