Tripura Election 2023: 'Feeling good...' says Manik Saha after winning seat, receives nearly 50 pc vote share

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Thursday won the Town Bardowali constituency in the Assembly polls, defeating Congress candidate Asish Kumar Saha with a margin of over 1,200 votes. The incumbent chief minister received 19,586 votes. He got 49.77 per cent votes, while his close contender Congress' Asish Kumar bagged 18,329 votes -- 46.58 per cent of the total vote share. 

Speaking to the media, Manik Saha said, "I am feeling good and after winning. I am getting this certificate so what can be better than this."

In a by-election held in 2022, Saha, an expert in oral and maxillofacial surgery, had secured the Town Bardowali constituency, which is outside the state capital of Agartala. Saha previously worked as a professor at the Tripura Medical College in Hapania before entering politics.

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After succeeding Deb as chief minister of the northeastern state, he served for just ten months, but he was able to improve the state government's reputation in time for the February 16 assembly elections.

In January, Saha shared on Twitter how he conducted surgery on a 10-year-old boy after a long time at Tripura Medical College. Internet users lauded him and called it "truly inspiring" that he was still carrying out his doctoral responsibilities. Many ministers, MLAs, and top officials in the Tripura branch of the BJP expressed their displeasure with Dr. Saha's nomination as chief minister, and the controversy never really abated in party circles.

Also Read | Tripura Assembly election 2023: Full list of winners and losers

The Northeast state saw a triangular contest as Congress and CPIM, which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP.  In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 30 and the exit polls predicted a clear edge for the BJP over its rivals in the state.