Eleven Tripura MLAs took oath as Cabinet ministers on Monday, according to PTI. Nine of the ministers are from the Bharatiya Janata Party and two represent its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura.
Jishnu Dev Varma, NC Debbarma [IPFT], Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Manoj Kanti Deb, Santana Chakma, Ram Prasad Paul, Bhagaban Das, Sushanta Chowdhury, Rampada Jamatia and Prem Kumar Reang [IPFT] took oath as the cabinet ministers of the state on Monday.
Governor S N Arya administered the oath in the Raj Bhavan in Agartala. Chief Minister Manik Saha, Union ministers Bhupender Yadav and Pratima Bhoumik and former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb were present at the event.
Indigenous People’s Front Tripura leader Mevar Kumar Jamatia has been dropped from the Cabinet.
Shortly after he was sworn in, Sushanta Chowdhury told PTI that the new cabinet would pursue the “unfulfilled dreams” of former chief minister Deb. In the previous cabinet, Chowdhury served as the information and cultural affairs minister.
Of the 11 ministers, Ram Pada Jamatia (BJP) and Prem Kumar Reang (IPFT) were not part of the Deb-led Cabinet, PTI reported.
On Sunday, Saha was administered the oath of office by Governor SN Arya at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala.
He was elected as the new leader of the state legislature party on Saturday hours after Biplab Deb announced his resignation from the chief minister’s post. Deb’s resignation came less than a year ahead of the state Assembly election scheduled for March.
Saha, in his first press conference as chief minister on Sunday, said that his Cabinet would carry forward the schemes and decisions of Deb’s government, The Hindu reported. “I share a very strong chemistry with the former chief minister,” he said.
Saha said that he accepted the chief minister’s post in order to respect the BJP leadership’s decision. He added that all members of the party need to address any responsibility given to them with pride and joy.
The chief minister added that he would ensure that there would be no law and order disruptions, and sought co-operation from the Opposition.
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