A Day after crucial meeting among the leaders three opposition parties including, Tipra-Motha, CPI(M) and Congress, as excepted the CPI(M)-led Left Front on Sunday afternoon announced its candidates for the September 5 by-polls in Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies in Tripura’s Sepahijala district.

Addressing a press conference at CPI(M) headquarters, the Left Front convener Narayan Kar said that Kaushik Chanda will be the Left Front’s candidate from Dhanpur constituency, Mizan Hussain, third son former MLA Samsul Haque will contest from Boxanagar assembly seat.

In the last Assembly elections, Chanda had lost to Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik from Dhanpur, but the CPI(M) managed to retain the Boxanagar seat defeating the BJP candidate in a triangular contest.

Speaking at the press conference CPI(M) state secretary and MLA Jitendra Chaudhury said that both party candidates will submit their nomination papers on August 16.

While mentioning their meeting with the leaders of Tipra-Motha and Congress, Chaudhury said that they had detailed discussion over the present political situation of the state and all of them unanimously agreed that the second BJP government formed in the state due to division of anti-BJP votes. During the meeting, the CPI(M) leaders told the leaders of both parties that the CPI(M) has a strong political base in Dhanpur and Boxanagar. While the CPI(M) won the Boxanagar seat despite a difficult situation, the party could not win in the Dhanpur seat because of Tipra Motha’s presence.

Chaudhury claimed that they are 200% sure of getting support from Tipra-Motha and Congress in the by-polls, Chowdhury said all the three parties have vowed to avoid split of anti-BJP votes to ensure defeat of BJP. He also said that due to division of anti-BJP votes, the second BJP government led by Dr Manik Saha has been ruling the state with ‘less mandate’ (39 per cent vote share).

Earlier, on Saturday a crucial meeting of the top leaders of all three political parties including leader of the opposition, Animesh Debbarma (Tipra-Motha), CPI (M) state secretary and MLA Jitendra Chaudhury, two senior CPI(M) leaders and former minister Manik Dey, Ratan Bhowmik, Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha and two Congress MLAs Gopal Chandra Roy and Sudip Roy Barman held at Agartala to strategize for the by-polls to avoid the split of the anti-BJP votes.

It may be recalled here that By-elections for two assembly constituencies of Tripura including 20-Boxanagar and 23-Dhanpur in Sepahijala district will be held on September 5th next and counting of polled votes will be conducted on September 8th.

The Dhanpur seat fell vacant after the resignation of Union Minister of state, Smt Pratima Bhowmik and the Boxanagar seat remained vacant after the death of CPI(M)'s Boxanagar MLA Samsul Haque in July this year.

As per the poll schedules, the date of issue of Gazette notification issued on August 10th, last date of making nominations is August 17. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on August 18 and the last date for withdrawal is August 21.

On March 15, 2023, the union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Pratima Bhowmik who was elected in the 2023 assembly elections from Dhanpur assembly constituency in Sonamura subdivision bid an emotional farewell to her electors after submitting her resignation from the assembly.  She submitted her resignation to continue her MP status.

In the assembly elections, Smt Pramita Bhowmik secured a total of 19,148 votes and defeated her rival candidate Kaushik Chanda of CPI (M) 3,500 votes. CPI (M) candidate got 15,648 votes, while, Tipra-Motha candidate Amiya Dayal Noatia got 8,671 votes, which has played a crucial role to lose the strong bastion of CPI (M), which was represented by former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

The by-elections have been necessitated after senior CPI (M) leader and sitting MLA from Boxanagar assembly constituency, Samsul Haque breathed his last after he suffered a cardiac arrest in the wee hours July 19, 2023 last.  In the 2023 assembly elections, Haque secured a total of 19,404 votes and defeated his nearest rival BJP candidate Taffajal Hossan by 4,849 votes. Taffajal Hossan secured 14,555 votes.