BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 13th March 2026: Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman today criticised the Communist Party of India (Marxist) for announcing its candidate for the Dharmanagar by-election without consulting the party.
He today alleged that the decision could end up benefiting the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The CPIM has fielded Amitabh Datta for the Dharmanagar Assembly seat in North Tripura district. The constituency fell vacant after the death of Biswabandhu Sen in February.
Reacting to the announcement, Roy Barman said the CPIM declared its candidate without any discussion with the Congress. He said people would judge whether the move was meant to defeat the BJP or indirectly help it.
He said the Indian National Congress would contest the by-election and fight to win the seat. At the same time, he urged the CPIM to reconsider its decision and withdraw its candidate if it genuinely wanted to defeat the BJP.
Roy Barman also recalled earlier by-elections held after the 2023 Tripura Legislative Assembly election. He said the Congress had not fielded candidates in several seats such as Boxanagar, Dhanpur and Ramnagar when the CPIM contested, in an effort to strengthen the anti-BJP front.
According to him, the Congress expected a similar approach from the CPIM in the Dharmanagar by-election, but the party went ahead with its own candidate. He said the public would now decide whether the decision was aimed at defeating the BJP or not.
