Tripura Speaker’s election: Ruling BJP-IPFT and CPIM-Cong candidates file nominations, What will TMP do?

The Budget session of the 13^th State Assembly will start after the election of the Speaker of the House on Friday (March 24). The ruling BJP-IPFT alliance proposed the name of former Deputy Speaker Biswas Bandhu Sen as the candidate for the Speaker. Opposition parties, Congress and CPIM jointly proposed Gopal Roy as the Opposition candidate. Both Sen and Roy submitted nomination papers today (March 23).

Biswa Bandhu Sen of the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance who was elected from Dharmanagar Constituency submitted his nomination and he was accompanied by State cabinet Ministers Ratan Lal Nath, Santana Chakma, Tinku Roy, Bikas Debbarma, Sudhangshu Das, Shukla Charan Noatia, MLA Kalyani Roy and others.

Gopal Chandra Roy of Congress who won the Banamalipur Assembly Polls, also submitted his nomination papers today. CPIM MLAs are supporting him and according to Opposition leaders, TIPRA Motha Party MLAs are also supporting him. However, during the nomination paper submission, CPIM and Congress MLAs were seen and there was no one from the TIPRA Motha Party. Roy was accompanied by CPIM MLA Jitendra Choudhury and Congress MLAs – Birajit Sinha and Sudip Roy Barman.

In the 60-seat State Assembly, the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance has total 32 MLAs. TIPRA Motha Party occupies the second position with 13 seats followed by CPIM with 11 seats and Congress with three seats in its kitty. The combined strength of the TIPRA Motha Party, CPIM and Congress is 27. Binoy Bhusan Das of BJP is the Protem Speaker.

One seat fell vacant after Union MoS Pratima Bhowmik who was elected from the Dhanpur Assembly constituency resigned before the MLA swearing-in ceremony.

Earlier, Tripura Pradesh Congress president Birajit Sinha said while announcing the name of Gopal Roy as the joint candidate of the Opposition, Sinha claimed that TIPRA Motha Party agreed to support the candidature of Roy.

With no one from the TIPRA Motha Party present during the nomination submission by Roy, many raised an eyebrow and speculation is rife as to whether 13 MLAs of the TIPRA Motha Party would support Roy.

Excluding TMP, the combined strength of Congress and CPIM is 14 only compared to the ruling BJP-IPFT’s 31.

All eyes are now focused on TIPRA Motha Party MLAs. Sources said, supremo of the TIPRA Motha Party would hold a meeting with the MLAs and take a decision on its stand for tomorrow’s Speaker’s election  – Will they stay abstain or support any of the two candidates?