(Combining related stories)

Outgoing Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday called on Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya and tendered his resignation.

Suspense over the next CM prevailed as he did not immediately stake claim to form the next government.

The ruling BJP and its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) won 32 seats and one constituency respectively to return to power in the northeastern state for the second consecutive term.

“I tendered my resignation to the governor. He asked me to continue till the new government is formed,” Saha told reporters after coming out of Raj Bhavan.

He said the government will take oath on March 8.

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To a question, he said he did not stake claim to form the government.

BJP chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said the chief minister’s name will be decided at the legislature party meeting, the date of which has not yet been fixed.

Today met Hon’ble Governor of Tripura Shri Satyadeo Narain Arya Ji at Raj Bhavan and submitted my resignation as Chief Minister.

He accepted the resignation and asked me to continue as caretaker CM till formation of the new government. pic.twitter.com/iuy8aVAfYn

— Prof.(Dr.) Manik Saha (@DrManikSaha2) March 3, 2023

Meanwhile, the Left Front said the Tripura Assembly election result was “unexpected” and claimed that the vote division among the anti-BJP parties helped the saffron party to win the polls with less number of seats.

The Left Front also claimed that around 60 per cent of the people’s mandate was against the BJP in the recently concluded elections as the BJP’s vote share in the election was 39 per cent.

“If one goes by the five-year misrule and people’s expression, the result is not corroborative. Around 60 per cent mandate against the BJP reflects the people’s distrust of a particular party”, said Left Front convenor Narayan Kar in a press release on Friday.

Read more: BJP-IPFT alliance returns to power in Tripura; Tipra Motha plays spoiler bagging 13 seats

In the elections, the BJP’s vote share was 39 per cent down from 43.59 per cent in 2018 polls. Its seat strength has also come down to 32 from 36 in the 60-member Assembly.

The CPI(M)’s vote share has also come down from 42.70 per cent to 24 per cent while the Congress has improved its vote share from 1.41 per cent to 8.56 per cent.

The Tipra Motha has polled around 20 per cent votes and won 13 seats in the tribal as well as mixed populated areas at the cost of the Left Front.

Kar asserted the vote division among the anti-BJP parties actually helped the saffron party to form the government with less number of seats.

Expressing concern over the post poll violence in some areas, he urged the government, administration and police to take all possible steps to prevent such acts.