Saha was sworn in along with nine others, including one woman and four new faces, in a giant gathering at Agartala’s Vivekananda Stadium, which was also attended by BJP National President JP Nadda, prime ministers and several senior leaders of the states governed by the Saffron Party.
Among those administered oath and secrecy by Governor Satyadev Narian Araya were senior leaders and outgoing cabinet ministers, Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Santana Chakma and Sushanta Chowdhury. Four new faces brought into the cabinet this time include three first-time MLAs, Tinku Roy and Bikas Debbarma of the BJP and Sukla Charan Noatia of their ally Tripura Indigenous People’s Front (IPFT), as well as second MLA Sudhangsu Das.
However, three cabinet posts remained vacant ahead of that of the second largest party TIPRA Motha they would join the government, otherwise these would be filled in the next stage, the BJP sources said.
The sources had earlier said that the selection of Saha as prime minister was unanimously approved by all BJP MLAs who kept Tripura with a comfortable majority even when a tough fight was expected between anti-incumbent speculation and a pre-alliance alliance. – poll between arch-rivals Congress and the Left.
Saha had replaced Biplab Deb as Tripura CM just few months ago. In the just-concluded assembly elections, he defeated veteran Congress leader Ashish Kumar Saha, by a margin of 1,257 votes from Town Bardowali, despite detractors within his own party predicting a “difficult time” for him in the prestigious constituency. electoral. Overall, the BJP won 32 seats in the 60-member assembly while its ally IPFT won one seat.
Earlier, speculation was rife that this time Saha might make way for Union Minister Pratima Bhowmik.
Saha, a dentist turned politician, had joined the Saffron Party in 2016 itself.
Tripura went to assembly elections in a single round of elections on 16 February and the counting of votes was held on 2 March.
The BJP had captured the left bastion in 2018.
