Manik Sarkar
| Manik Sarkar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 9th Chief Minister of Tripura | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 March 1998 | |
| Governor | Devanand Konwar |
| Preceded by | Dasarath Deb |
| Constituency | Dhanpur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 January 1949 Radhakishorepur, Tripura |
| Political party | Communist Party of India (Marxist) |
| Spouse(s) | Panchali Bhattacharya |
| Residence | Agartala, Tripura |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Website | chiefminister.html |
Manik Sarkar (born 22 January 1949) is an Indian politician who has been Chief Minister of Tripura since March 1998. He is a Politburo Member of Communist Party of India (Marxist).[1][2] In March 2008, he was sworn in as leader of Left Front, the Tripura coalition government.[3] In assembly elections held in 2013, he became the chief minister for the fourth consecutive time.
Manik Sarkar donates his CM salary and allowances to his party, which pays him 
5000 (US$80) as subsistence allowances.[4] His affidavit for the 2013 Tripura Assembly election revealed that he may well be the one with lowest monetary resources of all Chief Ministers of India.[5][6]
Early life and background
Manik Sarkar was born in a middle class family in Radhakishorepur, near Udaipur, Tripura on January 22, 1949. [7] His father's name was Amulya Sarkar, who worked as a tailor and his mother was Anjali Sarkar, who was a State(Province) government employee. [8] Sarkar was active in student movements since his student days. At the age of 19, in 1968, he became a member of one of the major political parties of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist). He graduated with a B.Com degree from MBB College and was a candidate of the Students' Federation of India throughout his academic life at MBB College. [9] He jumped headlong into the students movement during his early academic career at the turbulent times of the food movement of 1967 against the then Congress government of Tripura. It was his vital and vigorous role in this mass movement that inducted him into the CPI (M) of which he became a member in 1968.[10] Due to his early political exposure, he was also the General Secretary of MBB College Student Union. During his college days, he was also made the Vice President of the Students' Federation of India. In 1972, he was inducted into the Communist Party of India (Marxist) State Committee, at the age of 23.[9]
Political career
Six years after being selected in the CPI (M) State Committee, Sarkar was included in the party state Secretariat in the year 1978. This was also the year when the first Left Front government had taken control in Tripura. In 1980, at the age of 31, he was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly from the Agartala constituency. This was the start of Manik Sarkar's leadership in his state.[11] At around the same time, he was appointed as the Chief Whip of the CPI (M). His success as the Member of the Legislative Assembly returned in 1983, when he was elected to the Assembly from Krishnanagar, Agartala.[7] When the Left Front government took control in 1993, Sarkar was appointed as the State Secretary of the CPI (M). The biggest success came to Manik Sarkar in 1998. At the age of 49, he became a member of the politburo of the CPI (M), which is the principal policy-making and executive committee in a Communist party.[11][12] In the same year, he became the Chief Minister of the state of Tripura. Since then, he has been elected to the same position for four consecutive times in 15 years [11] He is one of the very few chief Ministers in India who is the office for such a period of time.
Personal life
Manik Sarkar is married to Panchali Bhattacharya, who has retired from Central Social Welfare Board in 2011. Sarkar and his wife live a very simple life. He is the only Chief Minister in India who has no house or a car on his name. Even his wife takes a rickshaw while traveling, with no personal security gurads. [13] Sarkar donates his full salary that he receives as a Chief Minister to his party and in return, gets Rs. 5,000 (approximately $77 USD) per month as his allowance. Some official sources list his monthly salary as the lowest salary among all the Chief Ministers in India. Sarkar has often be called the "cleanest and the poorest Chief Minister in the country". He has enjoyed a corruption-free image even among his critics.[14] In 2008, Sarkar's cash in hand and bank deposits totalled Rs.16,120. According to his latest election affidavit, this amount has come down to Rs.10,800. After the death of his mother Anjali Sarkar in 2009, Sarkar inherited a small house in Agartala. He donated it to a kin.[15]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manik Sarkar. |
- ↑ List of Politburo Members from the 7th (1964) to the 18th Congress(2005)
- ↑ List of Politburo and Central Committee members elected on the 19th Congress
- ↑ 6th Left Front Govt Assumes Office
- ↑ "?Manik Sarkar, the frugal CM". The Hindu. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
- ↑ "Manik Sarkar 'cleanest and poorest' CM". Deccan Herald. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ↑ "Manik Sarkar: Poorest CM in the country". Times of India. 26 January 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Manik Sarkar: Chief Minister (CM) of Tripura". NationsRoot. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ↑ Shridhar Prasad, K. "Poorest Chief Minister Manik Sarkar". Bubble News. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Biography of Manik Sarkar". WinEnterance.com. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ↑ http://www.tripurainfo.com/info/ATripura/Chief_Minister.htm
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "A Profile of Shri Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister, Tripura". Tripura Info. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ↑ "Politburo". Merriam Webster. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ↑ "Chief Minister Sarkar: India's Icon of Honesty". Silicon India. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ↑ "Manik Sarkar: Biography". The News Person. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/Tripura-chief-minister-Manik-Sarkar
| Preceded by Dasarath Deb |
Chief Minister of Tripura 12 December 1998 – present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
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