Manik Sarkar resigned as Chief Minister of Tripura on March 4 but was told to officiate until the new government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party takes charge.
State BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb, frontrunner for Chief Minister, said the swearing-in would be on March 8, two days after party heavyweights converge to elect the legislature party leader. “(Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin) Gadkari ji is scheduled to arrive here on March 6 for electing the legislature party leader. The swearing-in would be done a couple of days later,” he told the media.
Modi may attend swearing-in
BJP leaders said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the oath-taking ceremony in Tripura on March 8.
The BJP won 35 of the 59 seats where the elections were held on February 18. Its ally, Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, won eight seats taking the tally to 43. The CPI(M), which won 49 seats in 2013, had to be satisfied with 16.
Manik Sarkar, who reigned as Chief Minister for 20 of the Left Front’s 25 years in power in the State since 1993, met Governor Tathagata Roy in the afternoon to tender his resignation. Mr. Roy accepted the resignation, but asked him to hold charge until the formal transfer of power.
CPI(M) leaders said Mr. Sarkar would have met the Governor on March 3 after it became clear that Tripura had taken a right turn to vote the leftists out. “But the CM returned late from Sonamura because of formalities after retaining the Dhanpur seat,” a party leader said.
Sonamura, a sub-divisional headquarters, is about 55 km south of Agartala.
“The cooperation from the people and administration helped us run the government for 20 years. The people were with us, and we were with the people. Without their cooperation, it would have been impossible to implement government policies. I cannot thank them enough,” Mr. Sarkar said after meeting the governor.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar pays tributes to Fisheries Minister Khagandra Jamatiya at the CPI (M) head office in Agartala on March 4, 2018. Jamatiya died in New Delhi on March 2.
Before heading for Raj Bhavan in Agartala, Mr. Sarkar visited the State CPI(M) headquarters to pay homage to Fisheries Minister and six-time MLA Khangendra Jamatia, who died of cancer at AIIMS in New Delhi on March 2. His body was brought to Agartala on March 4.
Advise for BJP workers
Mr. Deb also paid homage to Jamatia at the CPI(M) office, where he met Mr. Sarkar and sought his blessings for handling the responsibility of steering an alliance government.
BJP Tripura state president Biplab Kumar Deb (left) greets outgoing Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the CPI(M) head office in Agartala on March 4, 2018.
“Being in power will be a challenge, but then life without challenge is no life at all,” Mr. Deb said outside the CPI(M) office, advising BJP workers to exercise restraint while celebrating the “historic” victory.
“You carry out victory rallies and rejoice, but in a manner that does not cause inconvenience to others. Your happiness should not increase the sadness of others because the party motto is to take everyone together on the road to development,” he said in a message to party karyakarta s (workers).
Mr. Deb declined to say if he would be the BJP’s candidate for Chief Minister. “This is for the leadership to decide. The party made me State president, and my job is to ensure we honour the people’s mandate to the best of our capability,” he said.
