tripura-assembly-to-elect-new-speaker-on-march-18

The Tripura Legislative Assembly will elect its new Speaker on March 18, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath announced on Friday.

 

Addressing reporters in Agartala, Nath said the election process would begin with a formal announcement by the Speaker-in-charge on March 16. Nomination papers for the post can be filed on March 17, which will also include scrutiny and withdrawal of nominations.

 

He said if only one nomination is filed, the candidate will be declared elected as Speaker on March 18. However, if more than one nomination is received, voting will be conducted through a ballot and the result finalised the same day.

 

The post of Speaker fell vacant following the death of former presiding officer Bishwabandhu Sen on December 26, 2025. Sen, who represented the Dharmanagar constituency, had been serving as Speaker of the Assembly at the time of his demise.

 

Meanwhile, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has proposed the name of its MLA Rampada Jamatia for the post. Jamatia, a senior tribal leader and legislator from the Bagma constituency in Gomati district, was chosen during a meeting of the BJP legislative party.

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The meeting was held at the official residence of Chief Minister Manik Saha ahead of the ongoing budget session of the Assembly.

 

Apart from the Speaker’s election, Nath said several legislative proposals are expected to be taken up during the session. The first meeting of the Business Advisory Committee had initially scheduled three bills for discussion, but the number has now increased.

 

According to the minister, seven new bills will be introduced in the Assembly. These include the Tripura Lift and Escalators Bill, the Tripura Guaranteed Services to Citizens Bill, the Tripura Ease of Doing Business 2026 Bill, the MBB University (Amendment) Bill, the Science, Technology and Allied Skill University Bill, the Atal Vihar Bajpayee Skill University Bill, and the International University Bill.

 

The proposed legislation is aimed at strengthening governance mechanisms, improving public services, and expanding higher education and skill development opportunities in the state.

 

The budget session of the Tripura Assembly is currently underway and is expected to deliberate on a range of administrative and developmental issues in the coming days.