Endeavour to put up consensus candidates in bi-elections fails, CPI-M announces candidate for both seats 

By  Firstdespatch Desk   Aug 13, 2023

Agartala, Aug 13 (FD) Amidst ongoing parley between opposition political parties in Tripura to put up common candidates against the ruling BJP in the by-elections for the Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly constituencies in Sipahijala district to be held next month the CPI-M unilaterally announced candidates for both seats.
Addressing a press conference at the CPI-M party office here, Left Front Convener and former MP of CPI-M, Naryan Kar announced that Md. Mijan Hussein, who is a son of Late Shamsul Haque, the former  CPIM legislator from Boxanagar seat while Kaushik Chanda, who contested from Dhanpur seat in the last assembly election would contest in the same seat again.
However, he appealed to the other opposition political parties like Congress and TIPRA Motha to support their both candidates in those two constituencies.
Kar alleged that Constitution and democracy are attacked in fascist system under BJP rule in Tripura, where people’s voice is choked.
“Political activities of all opposition political parties are de facto banned at Dhanpur and Boxanagar. We aren’t allowed to open our party offices there. Amidst crisis of food, works and democratic environment, the government is a silent spectator. But we are fighting and have decided to contest in both seats at Dhanpur and Boxanagar”.
He said The Left Front candidates would file their nomination papers at Sonamura Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s (SDM) office next Monday.
On why they announced candidates unilaterally, the Left Front leaders said, “We had placed our demand that Boxanagarand Dhanpur seats are traditional seats of the Left Front and the two other parties who joined discussions didn’t object to it.”
State Congress president AshishKumar Saha said he came to know about the Left Front candidate list after the announcement this evening and said he would discuss the subject with his party high-command at Delhi today. However, Saha said the tripartite discussion with Left, Congress and TIPRA Motha held yesterday decided to field candidates based on consensus of all stakeholders and not unilateral announcement of candidates by any one party.
No reaction was available fromTIPRA Motha so far.
The Dhanpur assembly constituency fell vacant after the Union Minister of state for Social Justice and Empowerment, Pratima Bhowmick resigned as an elected MLA from the constituency on March 15 this year.
She contested from the constituency in the last state assembly elections held on Feb. 16 last.
The Boxanagar constituency fell vacant as the opposition CPI-M MLA, Samsul Haque died on July 19 last.

Boxnagar Assembly constituency has 43,087, electors, while Dhanpur has 50,147 voters.
In the 2023 Assembly polls, Pratima Bhoumik of BJP polled 19148 votes (42.25%) and defeated her nearest candidate Kaushik Chanda of CPIM who secured 15648 votes (34.53%). The TMP candidate came third with 8671 votes (19.13%).

The result was different in Boxanagar where CPIM candidate Samsul Haque defeated his nearest BJP candidate Tafajjal Hossain. Haque secured 19404 votes (50.34%) while Hossain could manage 14555 votes (37.76%). Here also, the third position went to the TIPRA Motha Party candidate who polled 3010 votes (7.81%). FD JK