The Tripura BJP will have a new president with the nomination process ending on Tuesday. Manik Saha, a dental surgeon, emerged as the consensus candidate for the top job.
A formal announcement would be made on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb is continuing as State party chief since his appointment in January 2016. Under his command, the BJP and its ally IPFT won the Assembly elections held in February 2018 ending 25 years of uninterrupted rule of the CPI(M)-led Left Front.
It was expected that West Tripura MP Pratima Bhowmik and State vice-president Rajib Bhattacharjee would contest but they backed out.
Party insiders said Dr. Manik Saha’s nomination was the fallout of a consensus arrangement reached in consultation with the central leadership. The Chief Minister also endorsed his candidature.
Dr. Saha began his political innings only after joining the BJP ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections. The coalition government had appointed him Secretary of the Tripura Sports Council, but shifted him to the Tripura Cricket Association as its president.
The State BJP had already completed the election and the formation of district, mandal and polling booth level units.
