Campaigning for the upcoming by-election in the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency has begun, with Left Front-nominated CPI(M) candidate Amitabha Dutta starting his outreach among voters on Tuesday. \

Accompanied by party leaders and workers, he launched a door-to-door campaign to connect directly with residents.

The seat fell vacant following the demise of Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen. Although the Election Commission of India has not yet announced the official schedule for the by-poll, the Left Front surprised political circles by declaring its candidate well in advance.

The CPI(M) has nominated Amitabha Dutta, a former MLA, member of the party’s state secretariat, and North District secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

While interacting with voters during the campaign, Dutta said that since 2018 the state has witnessed an atmosphere of political violence, and that many people are preparing to protest against it. He urged voters across various booths to support the Left Front candidate in order to bring about change.

He also emphasized the need to stop violence against women and to create new opportunities and hope for unemployed youth. For this, he appealed to voters to ensure a decisive victory for the Left Front candidate in the upcoming by-election.

Notably, during the 2023 Assembly elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) had supported the Congress candidate in this constituency as part of an opposition understanding. However, the party has now decided to field its own candidate, stepping away from that arrangement.

Meanwhile, Ashish Kumar Saha, president of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee, had earlier stated that the Congress would also field its own candidate in the by-poll. This development has sparked considerable political discussion in the state.

Political analysts believe that the extent to which the CPI(M) can influence voters in the constituency will become clear only after the election results are announced.