Agartala, Jan 31: The CPI(M) has refuted reports of party leader Md. Mabashar Ali filing nomination from Bharatiya Janta Party(BJP).

Meanwhile, CPI(M) Tripura state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury on Tuesday sent a letter to Returning Officer of Kailashahar Assembly constituency, refuting the reports.

“In many social media it has been reported that Md. Mabasar Ali has filed nomination for election to the Legislative Assembly from 53-Kailashahar Assembly Constituency as a candidate sponsored by BJP. Md. Ali was elected to the Tripura Legislative Assembly from 53-Kailashahar Assembly constituency as a candidate of CPI(M) in 2018. Still he is a sitting member of the Tripura Legislative Assembly and as such he is a member of the CPI(M),” Jitendra Chowdhury stated in the letter.

Chowdhury further said, “Being a member of the Tripura Legislative Assembly sponsored by the CPI(M), unless he resigns from the Assembly, or he is expelled by the party he may not be accepted as a member of any other party or an independent candidate. Hence, Ali, a member of CPI(M) as a sitting MLA in the Assembly simultaneously, may not be a Member of BJP as stated in his nomination filed before you.”

“In Para 3 of from ‘B’ of Symbol allotment there is a statutory declaration of the authorized signatory of the party symbol certifying that, “the candidate whose name is mentioned above is a member of this political party and his name is duly borne on the rolls of members of this party”. As Md. Mabashar Ali neither resigned from the House of Assembly, nor from the CPI(M), in no circumstances, he may be treated as a candidate sponsored by BJP. Hence he may be disqualified for being a BJP candidate for want of statutory legal requirement,” the letter added.

Tripura will go for polls on February 16 and the result will be declared on March 2.