CPI(M) declares byelection candidate sans Congress
AGARTALA: Tripura CPI(M) has declared Amitava Datta as its candidate for the by-election in the Dharmanagar assembly constituency even though the election commission has not yet announced the poll schedule. The by-election was necessitated by the death of Biswabandhu Sen, who was the Speaker of the state assembly.
The CPI(M) said that it's candidate, Datta, has the support of other left front constituents, but not the Congress. In the 2023 assembly elections, the CPI(M) and Congress formed an opposition alliance.
However, this alliance is unlikely to resurface in the by-election as the CPI(M) has already announced candidate. The Congress has not yet responded.
The CPI(M) state secretary, Jitendra Chowdhury, has not indicated whether discussions with the Congress for an opposition alliance will take place. The BJP has stated that the candidate's name will be decided in Delhi and announced from there.
Meanwhile the office of the CEO has prepared the voters' list and has started making ground arrangements, pending the announcement of the by-election schedule.