AGARTALA: Following crucial discussions with opposition parties Tipra Motha and Congress, the CPI(M)-led Left Front has declared its candidates for the upcoming bypolls in Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies, on August 13. The bypolls are slated to take place on September 5 in Tripura’s Sepahijala district.
Narayan Kar, the convener of the Left Front, informed that Kaushik Chanda will represent the Front in the Dhanpur constituency, while Mizan Hussain has been nominated to contest from Boxanagar. Conveying their intentions, Kar stated, “Both candidates will file their nomination papers on August 15,” during a press conference.
Jitendra Chowdhury, the CPI(M) state secretary, informed the press that he had engaged in discussions with opposition parties, Tipra Motha and Congress, on Saturday to deliberate on the impending polls.
Chowdhury underlined that all three parties were committed to preventing the division of anti-BJP votes and claimed that the BJP’s control over the Northeastern state has been sustained with a “lesser mandate” (39% vote share) due to the splintering of the anti-BJP vote bank.
“We emphasised to the leaders of both parties that the CPI(M) enjoys a strong political foundation in Dhanpur and Boxanagar. While we managed to secure the Boxanagar seat amidst challenging circumstances, our performance in the Dhanpur seat was impacted by the presence of Tipra Motha,” he was quoted as saying in the local press.
In the preceding Assembly elections, Chanda had faced defeat against Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik in Dhanpur. However, the CPI(M) successfully maintained its grasp on the Boxanagar seat by triumphing over the BJP candidate in a three-way contest.
Hussain is the son of the late Boxanagar CPI(M) MLA Samsol Haque, whose passing in July created a vacancy that necessitated the bypoll. In the case of Dhanpur, the by-election was prompted by Bhoumik’s swift resignation from the Assembly shortly after her election.
