Tripura RS by-election announced for seat vacated by CM Manik Saha

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India has announced the dates for the by-election for the Rajya Sabha seat vacated by BJP leader Manik Saha. This election will take place on September 22.

Saha was elected to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Tripura in April this year and his term runs a full term up to April 2028.

Within a few weeks of Saha taking an oath to the Upper House of Parliament, BJP's top brass appointed him to take up the job of the Chief Minister of Tripura.

On May 15 this year, Saha took over as Tripura Chief Minister from the then incumbent Biplab Deb. On June 26, 2020, Saha was elected to the legislative assembly of Tripura in a by-election from the Town Bordowali seat.

A dentist by profession, Saha had quit Congress and joined the BJP in the year 2016 after which he was made the party's state president in the year 2020.

With the vacancy being announced by ECI it will be important to see who the BJP decides to send to the Rajya Sabha from the state. Former chief minister Biplab Deb currently does not have any active role in the state government.

Deb had incidentally led the BJP to a resounding victory in 2018, ending the 25-year-old domination of the Communist Party in the state.

The important state of northeast Tripura is set to go to Assembly elections next year and the BJP faces the challenge of seeing a repeat government with new entrants in the state in the form of Mamata Banerjee's TMC.