Manik Sarkar becomes Tripura CM for fourth time

Sarkar become a CPI-M politburo member at the party's 17th Congress in Hyderabad in March 2002.



In the Feb 14 polls, Sarkar defeated his Congress rival Shah Alam by 6,017 votes. In the last polls in 2008, Sarkar's winning margin was 2,918. This is his sixth electoral victory.

In the polls, result of which announced Feb 28, the CPI-M alone bagged 49 of the 60 seats while its ally Communist Party of India won one seat. The Congress finished with only 10 seats.

It was the best result for the Left since 1978 when the legendary Nripen Chakraborty-led CPI-M swept 56 seats. This time, Sarkar helped the Left Front increase its 2008 tally by one seat.

"This is a verdict in favour of development, peace and stability besides good governance," Sarkar told IANS.

He was first elected to the state assembly from the Agartala constituency in 1980 by-election. He was then re-elected to the house four times (1983, 1998, 2003 and 2008).