Dr Manik Saha elected as new chief minister in BJP legislature party meeting

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, May 14, 2022

By a strange quirk of fate a complete political greenhorn despite being the BJP’s state president for more than two years, Dr Manik Saha who is the incumbent Rajya Sabha MP of the party from Tripura is all set to become the new chief minister of the state, replacing Biplab Kumar Deb the outgoing chief minister. Dr Manik Saha is scheduled to be sworn in as chief minister by the governor in Raj Bhawan at 7-00 PM. The final decision in this regard was taken in a meeting of the BJP legislature party held in the official residence of the chief minister . In the one hour meeting which was marred by massive shouting and screaming even in presence of central leaders including Bhupendra Kumar Yadav, Dr Manik Saha’s name was proposed by Biplab Kumar Deb.

This was greeted with vociferous protests by a number of MLAs who had expected either Jishnu Debbarma or Pratima Bhowmik to don the mantle . The minister for jail and co-operation Ram Prasad Paul who is one of the veterans of the party in Tripura was the most determined protestor against the decision . There was no discussion over the issue as most of the MLAs kept quiet over the proposal made by Biplab Kumar Deb but then Ram Prasad Paul stood up to protest the decision on the ground that individual opinion of the MLAs had not been taken . However, it was with great difficulty that senior leaders like Pratima Bhowmik , Rajiv Bhattacharjee and Jishnu Debbarma managed to persuade Ram Prasad Paul to calm down.

Sources in BJP said that after being ousted from the post of chief minister Biplab Deb is now trying to take over the presidentship of the party afresh to prepare the ground for capturing the post of chief minister again in case the party manages to win the next assembly election. But officially there is no decision over the issue as yet. Dr Manik Saha, according to sources in BJP, has always been playing second fiddle to Biplab Deb and it is expected that even as chief minister he will go by the directives of Biplab Deb because Dr Manik Saha totally lacks any political or organizational experience and is likely to prove a disaster as chief minister.