Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha allots portfolios to 11 ministers

AGARTALA: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha distributed portfolios among the 11 ministers on Wednesday night, two days after the ministers took oath.

According to an official notification, Saha, who took oath on Sunday, a day after Biplab Kumar Deb resigned from the top post, like his predecessor, retained the vital Home, PWD, Health & Family Welfare, General Administrations Departments. Of the 11 ministers, nine were in the Council of Ministers headed by former Chief Minister Deb.

Saha has allotted the same departments to these nine ministers they held earlier. Veteran leader Rampada Jamatia of the BJP and Prem Kumar Reang of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), BJP's ally, are the two new ministers in the 12-member council of ministry.

The strength of the Council is 12, including the Chief Minister.

Before the allocation of portfolios among the ministers, a series of meetings were held by the senior BJP leaders.

A year after the BJP-IPFT alliance came to power on March 9, 2018 by defeating the Left Front in the Assembly elections, ending the latter's 25-year rule, waves of open revolt began against Deb leading to his abrupt resignation following the direction from the central leaders.

Amid open resentment by a section of the BJP MLAs, three BJP MLAs, Sudip Roy Barman (also former minister), Ashish Kumar Saha, Ashis Das, quit the party following open differences with Deb.

Roy Barman and Ashish Kumar Saha joined the Congress in February this year, while Das joined Trinamool Congress last year. (IANS)

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