Guwahati: Chief Minister of Tripura Dr. Manik Saha presided over the inaugural cabinet meeting of the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) government’s second term on March 9.
Saha took his second oath as Tripura’s chief minister after the BJP won the February 16 Assembly elections. Eight additional ministers were sworn in on March 8.
Agartala’s oath ceremony was attended by BJP leader JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and the brains behind the BJP’s Northeast victories was with them. Pema Khanda, N Biren Singh and PS Tamang, the chief ministers of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh were also present.
BJP representative Biplab Deb who was later replaced by Mr. Saha, was also present on stage.
Four of the new ministers have been retained from the previous government. They are Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Shantana Chakma and Sushanta Chowdhury.
The BJP inducted three new ministers from within its ranks -Tinku Roy, a close confidante of Biplab Deb, Bikash Debbarma chief of the BJP’s Scheduled Tribes Morcha and Sudhanshu Das.
Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), a BJP partner that fared poorly in these elections was given one ministerial position. As a minister Sukla Charan Noatia of IPFT took the oath.
Top BJP officials attending the ceremony is a sign of the party’s determination to grow in the Northeast. All eyes will be on how the government fulfils its promises of growth and good governance now that the party is firmly in power.
The new ministers took their oaths in front of a sizable crowd of supporters during the ceremony which was marked by pomp and circumstance. It is unclear how the new government would perform in the upcoming months with the first cabinet in place. The opposition will be trying to gain ground and take advantage of any mistakes made by the ruling party while the BJP will be trying to build on its previous triumphs in the area.