Tripura Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) Politburo member Jitendra Chaudhary on Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the Congress party’s criticism of the Left for fielding a candidate in the upcoming Dharmanagar Assembly by-election. He cautioned that insisting on equal participation in every election could weaken the Opposition’s prospects against the ruling BJP.
Addressing reporters, Chaudhary acknowledged that the Congress had contested the Dharmanagar seat in the 2023 Assembly elections under a seat-sharing arrangement with the CPI(M). However, he claimed that the Left had played a crucial role in supporting the Congress during that election.
“Congress is certainly a political force with some strength in the state, but it does not mean the party has a presence everywhere,” Chaudhary said. He noted that in more than 50 polling booths during the 2023 polls, CPI(M) workers had helped the Congress by arranging polling agents.
Referring to the political realities in the state, the CPI(M) leader said the Congress lacked adequate strength in several areas, including the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). “If the Congress contests alone in TTAADC, I doubt it will be able to even secure its deposits in most constituencies,” he remarked, adding that similar concerns apply to Dharmanagar.
Chaudhary also described earlier electoral understandings between the two parties as temporary arrangements. “The seat adjustment in 2023 was for that election, and the arrangement in 2024 was for the Lok Sabha polls. The current by-election is a separate matter,” he said, appealing to the Congress to support the CPI(M)-nominated candidate Amitabha Datta from Dharmanagar.
On the election of the new Speaker of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Chaudhary indicated that the CPI(M) may refrain from fielding a candidate. The ruling BJP has nominated senior tribal leader Rampada Jamatia for the post. According to Chaudhary, contesting the Speaker’s election would be “a futile exercise” as the BJP holds a comfortable majority in the House.
Both the Speaker’s election, scheduled for March 18, and the Dharmanagar bypoll were necessitated following the death of sitting Speaker Biswabandhu Sen in December last year.
