Former deputy speaker Bishwabandhu Sen and senior Congress MLA Gopal Roy have filed their  nomination papers for election to the post of Assembly Speaker , which will be held on Friday on the opening day of the 13th Tripura legislative assembly’s first session.

The election of Speaker will be preceded by the Governor Satyadeo Narayan Arya’s customary address-delivered as per constitutional norms on the opening day of the year’s first session.

Opposition CPI(M) and the Congress, which together fought the February 16 Tripura Assembly polls, on Thursday fielded a joint candidate against the ruling BJP for the Assembly Speakers election.

The first three-day session of the newly-constituted Tripura Assembly will begin on Friday with the election of a new Speaker. The CPI(M), which has 11 members, and the Congress with three MLAs have fielded veteran Congress leader Gopal Roy against BJP's Biswabandhu Sen, who was the Deputy Speaker in the previous Assembly.

With 13 seats, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) emerged as the second largest party in the Assembly polls after BJP, which secured 32 seats while its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) got one seat.

After the resignation of Union Minister of state Pratima Bhowmik, the BJP now has only 31 MLAs plus one from the IPFT while the combined opposition have altogether 27 MLAs comprising Left Front-11, Congress-03 and ‘Tipra Motha’-13. In terms of numbers the ruling BJP should have no problem in seeing its candidate through but all votes belonging to it must be cast for the party candidate Bishwabandhu Sen. The opposition combine is well aware of its numerical disadvantage but is still contesting to score a point.

Tipra-Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma said that his party's stand would be finalised after his meeting with the party's 13 MLAs. Pradesh Congress President and MLA Birajit Sinha had earlier said that the Motha would support Gopal Roy for the Speaker's post.

But a tweet on Thursday morning from ‘Tipra Motha’ supremo Pradyot Kishore said that “Woke up to an early morning call from the home minister @AmitShah to enquire about my health . He also categorically assured me that by the 27th of this month an interlocutor will be announced for our talks regarding the constitutional solution for our indigenous people of Tripura. I hope the home minister will understand the sentiments of the Tiprasa and honour the commitment he has given to me.”

Sources said that in view of Amit Shah’s telephonic contact with Pradyot , ‘Tipra Motha’ may abstain from Friday’s voting in the speaker’s election is a real possibility. An indication in this regard was available on Thursday  as none of the 13 ‘Tipra Motha’ MLAs was present when Congress MLA Gopal Roy filed his nomination paper to the Secretary of the legislative assembly.