Is Tripura CM Set to Expand His Cabinet Today?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Manik Saha is expected to expand his cabinet today.
- The new minister will fill a critical vacancy.
- Kishore Barman is a leading candidate for the ministerial post.
- The BJP-IPFT alliance retained power in the 2023 Assembly elections.
- The political landscape in Tripura is evolving with significant implications for governance.
Agartala, July 3 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik Saha, is anticipated to enhance his cabinet by adding a new minister on Thursday, which will effectively fill the existing vacancy.
The council of ministers in Tripura, inclusive of the chief minister, currently comprises 12 members, and this addition will complete the cabinet.
According to sources, the Governor, Indra Sena Reddy Nallu, will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new minister at the Raj Bhavan at 1.30 p.m., following the Chief Minister's recommendation.
While there has been no official announcement yet, Kishore Barman is a name frequently mentioned as a likely candidate for the ministerial position.
BJP MLA Barman, who also holds the role of General Secretary within the party, won his seat in the 2023 Assembly elections from the Nalchar constituency in the Sepahijala district.
Sources indicate that at least five BJP MLAs are vying for the single ministerial position that has remained vacant.
The BJP and the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) coalition government, led by Saha, secured their second consecutive term in power on March 8, 2023.
The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, contested the 2023 Assembly elections independently but later joined the BJP-IPFT coalition government in March 2022, following a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government, adding a new dimension to the political landscape of Tripura.
On March 7, 2024, two TMP MLAs, Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, were inducted into the ministry. Currently, the IPFT has one minister, Sukla Charan Noatia, in the 11-member council.
The BJP-IPFT alliance maintained its dominance in Tripura by winning 33 out of 60 seats in the Assembly.
The BJP secured 32 seats while the IPFT won one in the 2023 elections.
The TMP, participating in the Assembly elections for the first time, emerged as the second-largest party after the BJP by winning 13 out of 42 contested seats.
Both the TMP and the IPFT are recognized as tribal-oriented parties.
In the previous Assembly elections, the CPI(M) obtained 11 seats while the Congress secured three seats, following a seat-sharing agreement between the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress.
The TMP rose to political prominence in April 2021 after gaining control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
The significant TTAADC oversees two-thirds of Tripura's total area of 10,491 sq km and is home to over 1.2 million residents, approximately 84% of whom are tribal.