Tripura CM Manik Saha claims no political challenge for BJP

Agartala (Tripura) [India], May 15 (ANI): Manik Saha, who was sworn in as the Tripura Chief Minister today following Biplab Kumar Deb's resignation from the post ahead of the state Assembly elections next year, on Sunday said that there is no political challenge for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
The Chief Minister also promised to enhance law and order in the state along with resolving the issues of the people of Tripura.
Speaking to ANI, after taking the oath, Saha said, "We will move forward with the development issue of PM Modi and the BJP. We will 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."
He took oath as chief minister of the state on Sunday at Raj Bhawan in Agartala.
The BJP legislative party meeting on Saturday had elected Saha as the legislature party leader in the presence of the Central observers. The BJP decided for leadership change in the state a year ahead of the Assembly elections by replacing Biplab Kumar Deb with Saha as the Chief Minister.
After Manik Saha was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Tripura, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again taken recourse to its old mantra to beat anti-incumbency by changing the face in a poll-bound state.
Before Tripura, the BJP had scripted change in leadership in Gujarat, Karnataka and Uttarakhand. While the change of the face in Uttarakhand was done ahead of the elections, Gujarat is heading for year-end polls. Tripura and Karnataka are heading for elections next year.
Tripura unit of the BJP leaders was surprised with the choice of Manik Saha as chief minister as he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from the lone seat barely two months ago.
Saha is a Rajya Sabha MP and chief of the party in the state. The polls in the state are likely to be held in March next year.
Saha, a dental surgeon, is expected to steer the party in the Assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeastern state where Trinamool Congress is also seeking to emerge as a key player.
The sudden political development came as a surprise to the people of the state.
Saha joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March this year.
Meanwhile, Deb after submitting his resignation to State Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya said that he had wholeheartedly served the people of the Tripura.
Deb had taken oath as the first Chief Minister of Tripura in 2018, ending the 25-year-rule of the Communist Party of India in the state. (ANI)