CPM mes Parimal Debth for by-election

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

Agartala, January 16: In a quick move the CPI (M) today declared Parimal Debth as its candidate for the by-election of the Birguange Assembly constituency polling for which is scheduled to be held on February 13. The seat fell vacant as the sitting MLA Manoranjan Acharjee resigned following his alleged involvement in a sex scandal. He also was expelled from the party on December 11 last.

The two-day state committee meeting begun here today filized the me of Debth who is the secretary of the party’s Amarpur divisiol committee. Bijon Dhar, state secretary of the party, announced the me in a hurriedly called press conference in the break of the state committee meeting.

Choosing Debth as candidate seems to be a move to stem any dissident activity in Amarpur. A close confident of the expelled MLA he earlier alleged that Manoranjan Acharjee was the victim of a conspiracy. He even hinted towards the former minister Ranjit Debath for faultily implicating Acharjee in the scandal.

Mr Acharjee was accused of sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl of a party colleague inside the Amarpur party office which he said baseless and a conspiracy against him. His expulsion virtually divided the party in Amarpur vertically as followers of the expelled leader openly demonstrated against the party decision.

The issue turned uneasy for the CPI (M), as according to political sources, the expelled leader Manoranjan Acharjee is preparing to contest the buy-election as an independent candidate and the opposition Congress is all set to support him.