Tripura Assembly Election 2023: Who Is Manik Saha, Tripura's CM Who Might Retain Top Job - 10 Points

Tripura Assembly Election 2023 Result: Manik Saha was BJP's surprise choice as chief minister in 2022, following Biplab Kumar Deb abruptly stepping down. A professional doctor, Saha has taken up politics full time and has managed to swing votes in his favour in 2023.

With BJP crossing the halfway mark, it seems Dr Manik Saha will once again retain the top job. The BJP has said it is ready to accept all demands of Tipra Motha, except for Greater Tipraland, if the new party led by former royal Pradyot Debbarma extends its support. While some permutation combinations will happen, sources said the date for the swearing-in ceremony will be decided after consultation with the central leadership. So who is Manik Saha, who took over the CM's post less than a year back in Tripura? Here are some interesting facts.

Manik Saha is currently serving as the 11th Chief Minister of Tripura. Here are some key points:

1. Just some months before the 2023 Assembly polls, Manik Saha was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tripura. This happened in May 2022, after Biplab Kumar Deb abruptly stepped down from the post.

2. Manik Saha was earlier a Congressman. He quit the party in 2016 to join BJP. In 2020, he became the state president of BJP.

3. Manik Saha is a doctor by profession. Saha, now 70, is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. 

4. Manik Saha won the only Rajya Sabha seat in Tripura last year. 

5. The Chief Minister is also closely involved with the world of sports. He is a former badminton player and president of the Tripura Cricket Association.

6. Manik Saha was born to Makhan Lal Saha and Priya Bala Saha on 8 January 1953.

7. Saha is married to Swapna Saha, with whom he has two daughters.

8. In the 2023 Assembly election, Manik Saha won from Bordowali constituency, defeating Congress' Ashis Kumar Saha with a margin of 1257 votes.

9. Before he joined mainstream politics, Saha used to teach at Tripura Medical College, Hapania. 

10. Saha has medical degrees from Government Dental College, Patna, Bihar and King George's Medical College, Lucknow.