Dipak Majumder, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and incumbent Mayor of the Agartala Municipal Corporation, has secured a resounding victory in the by-election for the Ramnagar Assembly constituency in Tripura. He garnered an impressive 75.46% of the votes cast, establishing a new record in the state’s electoral history.
The Ramnagar constituency, one of the largest and most diverse in Tripura, was previously held by Surajit Datta, who had won seven consecutive elections before his untimely passing in December of last year. Majumder’s triumph marks a significant victory for the BJP in the region.
Majumder’s primary opponent, Ratan Das of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and an INDIA bloc nominee, was defeated by a substantial margin of 18,014 votes. Majumder received 25,380 votes, while Das secured 7,366 votes. The None of the Above (NOTA) option garnered 887 votes.
The BJP has expressed contentment with the outcome of the by-election, viewing it as a positive indication of the party’s support in the state. However, the CPI(M) has raised concerns, alleging that the results were compromised by voter intimidation and electoral irregularities.
“Even on the day of the vote count, our counting agents were subjected to threats, and we had to seek police protection in one instance,” claimed Pabitra Kar, a senior CPI(M) leader and former Deputy Speaker.
Dipak Majumder, who previously belonged to the Congress party, joined the BJP prior to the 2018 Assembly election. He contested the Khowai constituency during the 2023 Assembly elections but faced defeat at the hands of a CPI(M) candidate.
