Meet the 2026 Dharmanagar by-election candidates. As BJP, Left, and Congress launch campaigns, we analyze the three-cornered battle for North Tripura.
Dharmanagar Mar 19: The political temperature in North Tripura has started reaching a boiling point as the 56-Dharmanagar Assembly constituency gears up for a high-stakes by-election.
After CPI(M) and BJP announced their candidates, Congress also announced its candidate and fielded Chayan Bhattacharjee, a well known local leader.
With the filing of nominations and the launch of aggressive door-to-door outreach, the battle lines are now clearly drawn between the ruling BJP, the Left Front, and the Congress, signaling a shift in the state’s micro-political dynamics ahead of the next general cycle.
The vacancy, created by the passing of veteran leader and former Speaker Bishwabandhu Sen, has turned Dharmanagar into a prestige battleground.
On Thursday, the CPI(M) showcased its organizational strength as Left Front candidate Amitabha Dutta—a three-time winner of this seat and State Secretariat member—filed his nomination.
The move was preceded by a massive rally that painted the town red, winding through major thoroughfares after a strategic huddle at the party’s sub-divisional office.
Simultaneously, the BJP’s nominee, Jahar Chakraborti, took a more personal approach to the electorate.
Launching his campaign with a series of “Pranam” visits, Chakraborty focused on door-to-door interactions, seeking the blessings of elders and promising to carry forward the unfinished developmental roadmap laid out by the late Bishwabandhu Sen.
The Congress party has introduced a seasoned organizational face, Chayan Bhattacharjee, into the fray.
Known for his grassroots connectivity and history in mass movements, Bhattacharjee is being positioned by the party as the “unifier” of the opposition vote.
With all three major camps now fully mobilized, Dharmanagar is witnessing a rare, balanced three-cornered contest where local acceptability will likely outweigh broader state-level narratives.
News Analysis: The Shadow of a Veteran
The 56-Dharmanagar seat has historically been a bastion of personal influence rather than just party symbols.
The late Bishwabandhu Sen commanded a unique cross-party respect that often blurred traditional political lines.
For the BJP, the challenge lies in retaining Sen’s personal vote bank through Jahar Chakraborti.
Meanwhile, the Left’s reliance on Amitabha Dutta—a face the constituency knows intimately—suggests they are betting on “proven experience” to reclaim a territory that was once their stronghold before the 2018 political shift in Tripura.
Notably, in the last Assembly election in 2023, Congress and CPI(M) forged alliance. Accordingly, Congress fielded it’s candidate.
But with no alliance, CPI(M) and Congress pushed their candidates in the fray. Enewstime team led by Editor-in-chief Jaydip Chakrabarti believe that the three-corner contest will actually benefit the ruling BJP.