Manik Saha is new chief minister of Tripura

Agartala, May 14: BJP Tripura chief and Rajya Sabha MP Manik Saha was appointed new Chief Minister of Tripura on Saturday.

"Congratulations and best wishes to @DrManikSaha2 ji on being elected as the legislature party leader. I believe under PM Shri @narendramodi Ji's vision and leadership Tripura will prosper," Deb tweeted.

As Deb proposed the 69-year-old Saha's name in the meeting, minister Ram Prasad Paul protested, which led to a scuffle among MLAs.

Paul wanted deputy chief minister Jishnu Dev Varma, a member of the erstwhile Tripura royal family, as the next chief minister of the state.

Biplab Kumar Deb has submitted his resignation to Governor SN Arya. Deb made the announcement after meeting the governor at the Raj Bhavan here.

"Party is above all. I am a loyal worker of the BJP. I hope I have done justice to the responsibilities that were given to me -- whether it was BJP state president or Tripura chief minister. I have worked for the overall development of Tripura, and to ensure peace for the people of the state," Deb told reporters.

"The 2023 election is coming, and the party wants a responsible organiser to take charge of the affairs here. A government can only be formed if the organisation is strong. After the elections, someone will obviously become the chief minister," he added.

Deb was appointed the chief minister after the BJP stormed to power in 2018, ending 25 years of Left Front rule in the Northeastern state.