Preparations started for the by-election in Tripura Assembly seat

Preparations for by-election in Dharmanagar assembly constituency in north Tripura have begun expecting a declaration of the schedule soon. The seat became vacant after the demise of Assembly Speaker Biswabandhu Sen on December 26 last year.

Mr. Sen first represented the constituency as a Congress nominee. Later, he joined the BJP ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections which saw installation of the BJP government for the first time in Tripura.

State office of the Chief Electoral Officer has reportedly launched preparations for the bye-elections following directions from the election commission. The updated voter’s list for the Assembly constituency has been published.

The total number of voters in the constituency, according to the published roll, is 46,143. Officials say there could be some change if any fault is found in the count.

Mr. Sen won from Dharmanagar constituency in the February 2023 elections by a moderate margin, defeating Mr. Chayan Bhattacharjya of Congress. Congress is expected to renominate Bhattacharjya in the bye-election.

The Congress and CPI(M) contested the past few elections forging an alliance, but relations between the two parties have become strained over the past year. Both have not spoken about the election strategy yet.