Agartala, March 23:
The electoral contest for the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency by-election in North Tripura district gathered momentum on Monday, with both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Indian National Congress candidates filing their nominations amid show-of-strength rallies, each projecting confidence of securing the seat.
The by-election, scheduled for April 9, has been necessitated by the demise of sitting MLA and former Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen in December last year, turning the contest into a politically significant face-off.
BJP nominee Jahar Chakraborty struck an assertive tone after submitting his papers, framing the election as a continuation of the party’s dominance in the region.
He pointed to the BJP’s emphatic victory in 2018, arguing that the electorate would once again consolidate behind the party and its lotus symbol, while dismissing the prospects of both Congress and the Left.
On the other side, Congress candidate Chayan Bhattacharjee sought to elevate the stakes of the by-poll, urging voters to treat it as a referendum on governance rather than a routine electoral exercise.
Positioning his campaign around accountability and civic concerns, Bhattacharjee called for a mandate to “restore dignity” to Dharmanagar.
He also paid tribute to the late Biswa Bandhu Sen, expressing condolences while appealing to voters to honour his legacy through a democratic correction.
Highlighting issues such as poor healthcare delivery, drinking water supply, urban infrastructure, and railway connectivity, the Congress candidate argued that the constituency requires urgent policy attention and administrative reform.
Framing his pitch around transparency and systemic correction, Bhattacharjee said his campaign was aimed at addressing what he described as governance deficits and restoring communal harmony.
Emphasising change over retribution, he appealed for public support to implement commitments aligned with broader national policy frameworks.
With both camps mobilising aggressively and framing the contest as a decisive political battle, the Dharmanagar by-election is shaping up as a closely watched test of strength between the ruling BJP and the resurgent Congress in Tripura’s political landscape.
