A section of disgruntled members of the Eastern India Motion Pictures Association (EIMPA) on Monday appointed producer Ratan Saha as the interim president following a no-confidence motion against incumbent chief Piya Sengupta.
A felicitation ceremony in honour of Saha was organised at the EIMPA office here and attended by veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose along with Shyamal Dutta, Krishna Daga, Milan Bhowmik and Piyush Saha.
Saha said fresh elections would be held within three months and assured members of a transparent process.
He added that there have been allegations against Piya Sengupta because of which several members wanted her to step down. He further said that she was “selected” president not “elected”.
Sengupta, however, maintained that her tenure as president runs till 2027 and asserted that she had no intention of resigning.
Addressing a press conference at the Press Club in Kolkata on Monday, along with her lawyer, Sengupta said the previous election was conducted under the directions of the High Court.
She also alleged intimidation by disgruntled members during the May 22 no-confidence motion meeting.
Sengupta said she would seek legal recourse and would not bow to pressure from the newly appointed interim president.
Saha’s appointment reportedly came after Sengupta walked out of the EIMPA executive committee meeting.
Saha, a cinema promoter and businessman from Tripura and elder brother of Tripura chief minister Manik Saha, is the founder of SSR Cinema Chains, which operates movie theatres in Kolkata and Agartala.