The BJP returned to power in the results declared on March 2, winning 32 seats out of 60 for a simple majority on its own. While the party sought votes for a “Modi-Manik Saha sarkar” again, it had not clearly stated that Saha was its CM face.

A dental surgeon, who still assists sometimes in surgeries, Saha had earlier been seen as a loyalist of Biplab Deb, and won his first Assembly election only after becoming CM. However, after taking over, Saha came into his own, developing the image of a “gentleman politician”, in contrast to the hooliganism that had come to mark Deb’s tenure.