Tripura: Ex-ministers Sudip Roy Barman, Asish Saha no longer members of Assembly, says Speaker

Tripura Legislative Assembly Speaker Ratan Chakraborty on Tuesday accepted the resignation letters submitted by former ministers Sudip Roy Barman and Asish Saha and declared that both of them have lost their membership of the House.

Barman and Saha resigned from BJP and their MLA posts in Tripura Assembly on Monday. Burman was removed from the post of minister due to anti-party activities.

Speaking to the mediapersons at the assembly secretariat, Chakraborty said, "According to the Section 364 of Business conduct rules, they have fulfilled all the criteria. They submitted their resignation letters on Monday and after a thorough examination and I have accepted their application. They will be unseated from the state assembly and they are no longer a part of the treasury bench."

The Speaker also clarified that both the leaders also lost their status of being MLAs and now they would be referred to as ex-MLAs.

On the vacant seats, he said, normally when an MLA steps down from his post, his constituency goes for polls within six months period. "The Election Commission of India is going to notify for polls and then by-elections will be conducted," Chakraborty said.

Asked whether both leaders would be able to contest the polls, he said, "Unlike MLA Asish Das who had been disqualified under the anti-defection law, they will be able to contsest the elections. The anti-defection law does not come into force in this case as they have resigned following all the steps."

Regarding the number of seats vacant in the Tripura Assembly, the Speaker said there are a total of four seats vacant in the House now.

"Asish Das, Sudip Roy Barman and Asish Saha lost their status of being a member of the House while MLA Ramendra Chandra Debnath passed away a few days back. So there are a total of four constituencies that are set for bypolls," said Chakraborty.

Ahead of the 2023 Tripura assembly polls, former minister Sudip Roy Barman and Ashish Kumar Saha joined Congress on Tuesday after meeting Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi.

( With inputs from ANI )