Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb resigns ahead of 2023 polls, Manik Saha to be new CM

Mangalore Today News Network

Tripura, May 14, 2022: Months before Assembly elections, Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb resigned on Saturday following which Rajya Sabha member and BJP’s state president Manik Saha was elected as the new CM.

 

Saha is a reputed dental surgeon-turned politician, who joined BJP in 2016 after a brief stint in Congress. He was made the party’s state president in 2020 and was elected to the Rajya Sabha in March of this year. Saha belongs to a business family.

Deb, now 50 tendered his resignation to Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya at Agartala after meeting BJP president J P Nadda and Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi in which he was reportedly conveyed the party’s decision to replace him with a new face for the Assembly elections.

"Being a Chief Minister, I worked for development and tried to provide justice to people, who wanted a respite from the 25-year-long government of the left parties and elected me. Now the party wants a responsible activist to strengthen the organisation for 2023 elections. If the organisation remains strong, then the government will remain. To keep the party in power for a long time, organisation must be stregnthened," Deb told reporters at Agartala soon after tenderding his resignation to Governor.

 

Congratulations and best wishes to @DrManikSaha2 ji on being elected as the legislature party leader.

I believe under PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s vision and leadership Tripura will prosper. pic.twitter.com/s0VF1FznWW

— Biplab Kumar Deb (@BjpBiplab) May 14, 2022

Deb, 50, was elected as CM in March 2018 when BJP and its allies Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) got a majority in the 60-member Assembly and formed their first government. Several controversial statements by Deb soon after becoming the CM invited criticism.

Some MLAs led by Sudip Roy Barman had even met the Central leaders at least twice demanding Deb’s replacement. Roy and another MLA, Ashish Das quit and joined Congress in February this year. Another MLA joined Trinamool Congress, which has set its target to unseat BJP.

Sources said that Deb was asked to quit following a "ground assessment" that BJP’s position was deteriorating during his tenure.

The emergence of TMC and Tripura Motha, a forum of regional political parties ahead of Assembly elections were the other reasons cited by BJP leaders in Agartala for his replacement.

Reacting to the development, Trinamool Congress said Deb’s tenure was marked by "attacks" on opposition activists and "murder of democracy" in Tripura.

"The resignation of Deb marks the beginning of the end of the BJP in Tripura," TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh quipped.

The TMC tweeted, "Goodbye & good riddance to the CM who failed thousands of people in Tripura!"

Courtesy: Deccan Herald