Agartala, March 18: In a significant development in Tripura’s political landscape, senior BJP legislator Ram Pada Jamatia was elected unopposed as the Speaker of the Tripura Assembly on Wednesday.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with its allies, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), proposed his name on March 12, leading to his nomination for the position.
This election became necessary following the demise of former Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen on December 26. The 72-year-old Sen passed away after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Bengaluru.
Acting Speaker Ram Prasad Paul announced in the house that Jamatia was the sole candidate, thus declaring him the unopposed Speaker. Subsequently, Chief Minister Manik Saha, opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhary, and Congress legislative party leader Birajit Sinha, among other leaders, escorted him to the Speaker’s chair.
Ram Pada Jamatia previously served as the Minister of Tribal Welfare, Industry, and Commerce (Handloom, Handicrafts, and Sericulture) from 2022 to 2023.
He is the second tribal leader to become the Assembly Speaker since Tripura attained full statehood in 1972, following Sudhanwa Debbarma, who held the position from 1978 to 1983.
At 69, Jamatia has been elected twice as the MLA from the Bagmara Assembly constituency in Gomati district, in 2018 and 2023. He joined the BJP after retiring from ONGC in 2017.
Meanwhile, the Tripura Assembly’s budget session commenced on March 13. State Finance Minister Pranjit Singha Roy presented a tax-free deficit budget of ₹34,212.31 crore for 2026-27 on March 16.
This session will continue until March 25, during which several important bills will be introduced, including the establishment of Tripura Women’s University, a Health Sciences University, and a Technical University.
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