In just 9 months, doctor got BJP back in good health in Tripura

Chief minister for barely a year, Manik Saha will return to play a full innings after BJP’s impressive performance to retain Tripura, overcoming both anti-incumbency and the charge of Pradyot Debbarman’s Tipra Motha.

A dental surgeon and teacher-turned-politician, Saha switched from Congress to BJP in 2016. His rise was quick. By 2020, he was leading BJP’s Tripura unit and early last year, he was nominated to the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat. But within a fortnight of his oath in Parliament, he was handed the job of running the state when Biplab Kumar Deb stepped down as CM amid turbulence within BJP last May.

The job he was asked to do was not an easy one because of severe criticism Deb faced over unkept poll promises, unemployment, corruption and controversial public comments, besides allegations of pursuing politics of vendetta.
But in just nine months in the CM’s office, Saha broughtorder and calm, putting BJP on a firm footing as it went into the elections, vying for asecond term. Transparency in governance and coordination among cabinet members and the party leadership saw significant improvement under Saha. Within the party, too, Saha’s leadership reduced friction among factions.

Son of the once richest man of Tripura, Saha, had not tasted an electoral battle till 2022, when he found himself thrust into the spotlight after Asish Kumar, the BJP MLA from Town Bordowali, resigned and joined Congress.
Since then, Saha received strong backing from the BJP central leadership, which was unequivocal that he would lead the party in Tripura. Amit Shah made it clear at a poll rally that people should trust “Manik bhai’s leadership” to ensure that BJP’s “double engine government” makes Tripura the most prosperous small state in India.

Before wading into politics, Saha taught at Tripura Medical College. This year, he briefly returned to his first calling, operating on a 10-yearold for an oral cystic lesion.