Rebati Mohan Das, the Speaker of Assembly who resigned on Thursday, has been appointed as the vice president of Tripura Pradesh BJP unit. The development occurred close on heels of the State Cabinet expansion, two days ago.
BJP State president Dr Manik Saha announced the new assignment of Rebati Mohan Das in a press Conference in Agartala on Thursday,.
Meanwhile, Pratima Bhowmik, who recently became Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, resigned as vice-president of the BJP Tripura unit on the same day.
In his resignation letter submitted to Deputy Speaker Biswabandhu Sen, Das cited personal reasons. However, speaking to the media later, Das said that he was looking forward to work for the organization.
“It was my dream to become what I am now. I thank the party president and Chief Minister for giving me this opportunity to work for the organization,” Das said in the press conference soon after his appointment as BJP Tripura vice-president.
He also said that Deputy Speaker Biswabandhu Sen and MLA Ratan Chakraborty had helped him a lot during the proceedings of the House.
As he hinted, Das was expecting either Sen or Chakraborty as the next Speaker. However, he said that the party would take the final decision.
Speculations about the next Speaker are rife. It is expected that incumbent Deputy Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen will be elevated to the Speaker’s post. As this possibility is doing rounds, guesswork on the next Deputy Speaker picks up.
According to Political observers, chances of two BJP MLAs – Arun Chandra Bhowmik and Ratan Chakraborty – are almost obvious for the Deputy Speaker’s post.