Multi-cornered contest set for April 9 Assembly bypoll in Tripura

A multi-cornered contest is on the cards for the April 9 by-election to the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency in North Tripura district, which shares borders with Assam and Mizoram.

Altogether, six candidates are in the fray, with nominees from major political parties, smaller parties, and an independent candidate adding to the competitive landscape.

The key contenders include Jahar Chakraborti of the ruling BJP, Chayan Bhattacharjee of the Congress, and Amitabha Datta representing the CPI (M)-led Left Front. Datta is a former MLA of the Left party.

Jahar Chakraborti, 59, currently serves as the BJP’s North Tripura district Vice-President.

In addition, candidates from the Amra Bangalee party, SUCI, and an independent aspirant are also contesting the by-election.

The Left Front and the Congress, which had entered into a seat-sharing arrangement during the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections to jointly challenge the BJP, are contesting separately in this bypoll, intensifying the electoral contest.

Congress leader Chayan Bhattacharjee had contested from the Dharmanagar seat in 2023 but lost to BJP candidate Biswa Bandhu Sen by a narrow margin of 956 votes.

The by-election was necessitated by the demise of sitting MLA and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, who passed away on December 26, 2025, at a private hospital in Bengaluru after a prolonged illness. He was 72.

Sen had been elected to the Tripura Assembly four times -- twice as a Congress candidate in 2008 and 2013, and later in 2018 and 2023 as a BJP nominee from the same constituency.

A total of 46,142 voters, including 23,758 women, are eligible to cast their votes in the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency.

The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4.

The month-long campaign for the by-election concluded on Tuesday afternoon.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and state BJP President Rajib Bhattacharjee, former Chief Minister and veteran Left leader Manik Sarkar and CPI (M) state Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury, as well as Congress Working Committee member and former minister Sudip Roy Barman and state party President Asish Kumar Saha, led extensive campaigns for their respective parties.