BJP wins bypolls in Dhanpur, Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripura

With these victories, the BJP's tally in the 60-member assembly increased to 33

BJP candidate Tafajjal Hossain flashes the victory sign after his win in the Boxanagar assembly bypoll, at Sonamura in Sepahijala district of Tripura, on September 8, 2023 | Photo Credit: PTI

The BJP won the byelections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar Assembly seats in Tripura on Friday.

The ruling party in the State wrested the Boxanagar sear from the CPI(M), which had never lost the seat except once in 1988, and retained Dhanpur.

Tafajjal Hossain of the BJP won the Boxanagar seat by defeating Mizan Hossain of the CPI(M) by 30, 237 votes. In Dhanpur, the BJP’s Bindu Debnath defeated his nearest CPI(M) rival Kaushik Chanda by a margin of 18,625 votes.

Mr. Mizan Hossain became the first CPI(M) candidate to lose deposit since 1978.

Dhanpur went to the polls after Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik resigned from the Assembly, while the Boxanagar bypoll was necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque.

The CPI(M), which earlier alleged massive rigging, threats and intimidations during the polling, boycotted the counting on Friday held at the Sonamura Girls Higher Secondary School in Sepahijala district. The CRPF and other security forces were deployed in the area to maintain peace.