Agartala: The by-election to the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency is set to become a multi-cornered contest, with the BJP, CPI-M, and Congress entering the electoral fray.
The CPI-M had nominated ex-MLA Amitabha Datta from the constituency long before the polls were declared.
The BJP and Congress announced their respective candidates on Thursday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated veteran worker Jahar Chakraborty as its candidate for the by-election to the 56-Dharmanagar Assembly constituency. Chakraborty contested from the constituency in 2013 on a BJP ticket but was defeated.
The candidate was finalised at a meeting of the party’s central election committee chaired by BJP national president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other members, sources said.
Chief Minister Manik Saha congratulated Chakraborty following the announcement.
The Indian National Congress has renominated Chayan Bhattacharjee as its candidate after approval by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, based on a recommendation from the Pradesh Congress Committee. The decision was communicated in a statement issued by AICC general secretary K. C. Venugopal.
The by-election has also highlighted differences between the CPI-M and Congress, allies at the national level. The CPI-M had earlier announced Datta’s candidature without consulting Congress.
CPI-M state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said the decision was based on organisational considerations, noting that the party had deployed cadres in a majority of polling booths during the 2023 Assembly elections.
Senior Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman objected to the move and urged the CPI-M to withdraw its candidate, citing the narrow margin of 1,098 votes by which Bhattacharjee lost the seat in the last Assembly polls.
Despite the differences, both CPI-M and Congress have expressed confidence about their prospects in the by-election, party leaders said.
The by-election, necessitated by the death of former Speaker Bishwabandhu Sen, is scheduled for April 9. The last date for filing nominations is March 23, scrutiny will take place on March 24, and candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 26. Counting of votes will be held on May 4.
A total of 46,143 voters are enrolled in the constituency, including 23,763 women and 22,380 men.
The district administration has set up 55 polling stations, including 32 in urban areas and 23 in rural areas. Twelve sector civil officers have been appointed, with four kept in reserve, officials said.