Mithun Debnath (34) travelled over 100 kms to watch the swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Minister Biplab Deb here as he wanted to have a closer look at the man, who was entrusted with shaping the destiny of the state for the next five years.
Incidentally, Debnath lives in Sepahijala district's Dhanpur, the constituency of outgoing chief minister Manik Sarkar, who also attended the grand oath-taking event of the new Tripura cabinet at the sprawling Assam Rifles ground yesterday.
"I work in a private firm. About 10 of us friends came to Agartala to witness the ceremony. Biplab Deb is young, energetic and a fresh face. We had voted for a change and now we expect the government to deliver as promised," he told PTI.
Deb, dressed in starched kurta-pyjama and a red traditional jacket, greeted the crowd with folded hands and thanked the people of Tripura.
"My humble submission to Mother Tripureswari and the entire population of Tripura. I greet you today not as the chief minister but a son of this soil," he said in Bengali, in his first address to the people as the chief minister.
A long-time RSS volunteer, Deb (48) said his efforts would be to bring a greater progress for the people of Tripura.
The BJP-IPFT government took charge yesterday after the alliance demolished the Left in the February 18 state polls, putting an end to the 25-year rule of the CPI(M)-led government.
Sarkar, however retained his Dhanpur seat for the fifth consecutive time even as he moved out of the Chief Minister's House to a humble abode in the CPI(M) office.
Incidentally, soon after taking charge, Deb touched the feet of Sarkar to seek his blessings as the latter was leaving the venue of the oath-taking ceremony.
Governor Tathagata Roy also administered the oath of office to the BJP's Jishnu Deb Burman as the deputy chief minister, along with seven other ministers, including IPFT chief N C Debbarma.
Two members in the council of ministers belong to the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).
David (30), an IPFT member in Agartala, alleged that the "Left had ruined the state over the years and a change was needed. I feel the IPFT did the right thing by aligning with the BJP."
A large number of women, young and old were also part of the crowd that had assembled at the Assam Rifles ground to witness the oath-taking ceremony of the new government.
Santana Chakma of the BJP is the sole woman in the council of ministers.
"I am happy that a new government has taken charge for the development of Tripura and there is a woman in the council of ministers. But we hope that the promises will now turn into performances," Maumita Das, who works in the private sector here, said.
Paulomi Sen, a doctor at the Tripura Medical College, said, "The young people are excited about the new government. But we expect that the agenda of development will not be sidelined for other political factors and that Tripura will progress."
The BJP-IPFT alliance had won the Assembly polls with a two-thirds majority in the 60-member House. The BJP had bagged 35 seats and the IPFT eight, of the 59 seats that went to the polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address from the Assam Rifles ground yesterday, had urged both the BJP-led government and the Opposition Left to combine their strengths to take Tripura to greater heights.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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