The Tripura Assembly Speaker served a disqualification notice to BJP MLA Ashis Das who joined the Trinamool Congress at a rally addressed by party’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee here on Sunday.
In June, IPFT MLA Brishaketu Debbarma resigned from the party and 10 days later joined the TIPRA (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Party) floated by State’s royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman.
Speaker Ratan Chakraborty said he gave Mr. Das a week’s time to explain in writing why his membership should not be disqualified.
The notice was issued under The Representation of the People Act 1951.
The BJP earlier in a letter to the Speaker sought the disqualification of Mr. Das who was elected from the Surma Assembly constituency in Dhalai district in 2018.
The victory of 36 candidates of the BJP and eight of its alliance partner IPFT saw the rout of the CPI(M)-led Left Front. The Assembly has 60 members.
When contacted, Mr. Das said he was yet to receive the notice from the Speaker. “If necessary. I will challenge it in the High Court.”
Mr. Das also ruled out the possibility of resigning from the Assembly.
