Agartala, Mar 15 (IANS): Communist Party of India-Marxist's (CPI-M) Ramendra Chandra Debnath was Friday elected speaker of the Tripura assembly for the third consecutive term.

Pro-tem Speaker Niranjan Debbarma announced that the 60-year-old lawyer-turned politician was elected unanimously as there was no other candidate for the post. Debnath has held the post since 2003.

Debnath, also a former minister, waas elected to the Tripura assembly uninterruptedly for the fifth time in the Feb 14 election from Yubarajnagar.

A week-long session of the newly assembly began Friday with the customary speech of Governor D.Y. Patil.

Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury presented a vote-on-account for the first three months of the 2013-14 fiscal.

A full-fledged budget for 2013-14 would be presented within the next three months, Chowdhury told IANS.

Scripting a record, this would be Chowdhury's 16th budget.

The Left Front led by the CPI-M (49 seats) and including the Communist Party of India (one seat) won 50 of the 60 seats. The Congress won only 10 seats.