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Manik Saha will take oath as the new chief minister of Tripura on Monday, 16 May. His appointment was announced by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Saturday.
Saha, a dental surgeon by profession and the lone Rajya Sabha MP from Tripura, has been serving as the chief of the BJP's state unit. He submitted a claim to form the government at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday, shortly after the party announced his election to the CM post.
"Many congratulations to Shri Dr Manik Saha ji for being elected the leader of Tripura BJP Legislature Party. I am sure that Tripura will reach new heights of development under the guidance and leadership of respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji," Yadav, the BJP's central observer who had been sent to oversee the election of a new chief minister, had announced in a tweet.
His predecessor, Deb, congratulated him on being elected as the chief minister.
The change in chief ministers comes ahead of the Assembly elections in the state scheduled for 2023.
Meanwhile, ruckus broke out at the BJP headquarters in the state soon after the announcement. Tripura Minister Ram Prasad Paul could be seen protesting in a video, and reportedly broke a few chairs before the situation was calmed. "Main mar jaunga (I will die)," he can be heard screaming in a video shared by the Trinamool Congress.
Biplab Deb's Resignation
Biplab Deb, earlier on Saturday, had submitted his resignation to the governor. While there have been reports of a rift between Deb and Deputy CM Varma, the exact reason for the move is not clear yet.
After his resignation, Deb said that the party wanted him to "work to strengthen the organisation."
"To strengthen the base of BJP in the state, I need to work on grassroot level in various sectors. I should work as a common karyakarta (party worker) rather than being at the position of the CM to help form the BJP government in the state again in the upcoming Assembly elections," Deb said, as quoted by ANI.
The resignation comes just a day after Deb met Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.
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