Agartala, April 9 (NationPress) A remarkable 79.84% of the 46,142 registered voters participated in the by-election for the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency located in North Tripura district on Thursday, as reported by officials.

An election official confirmed that there were no significant incidents during the voting, which commenced at 7 a.m. across 55 polling stations within the Dharmanagar Assembly seat.

The voting process continued seamlessly until 4 p.m. in this diverse constituency.

There were minor technical issues with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) at a few polling locations.

Fortunately, the Election Commission's technical teams quickly addressed these glitches by replacing or repairing the machines.

The final polling percentage may see a slight uptick as complete reports from all 55 polling stations are compiled.

Among the 46,142 eligible voters, 23,758 were women, all casting their votes to determine the fate of six candidates.

Election officials, alongside state police, implemented comprehensive measures to guarantee a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.

Notably, 11 of the polling stations were supervised entirely by female staff, while two stations were operated by differently-abled personnel and youth teams, showcasing a commitment to inclusive electoral engagement.

Since 2008, either the Congress or the BJP has maintained dominance in the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency, while the CPI-M last claimed victory in 2003.

This by-election features a competitive multi-party contest.

Key candidates include Jahar Chakraborti from the BJP, Chayan Bhattacharjee from Congress, and Amitabha Datta of the CPI-M-led Left Front.

Datta, a former MLA, previously won the seat in the 2003 elections.

Chakraborti, aged 59, is currently the BJP's Vice-President for the North Tripura district.

Additionally, candidates from the Amra Bangali party, the Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist, and an Independent are also in the running, adding to the intensity of the political contest.

In the previous assembly elections of 2023, the Left Front and Congress had formed a seat-sharing alliance to challenge the BJP, but they are contesting separately in this bypoll, which adds another layer to the competition.

Chayan Bhattacharjee, supported by the Left parties, narrowly lost to BJP candidate Biswa Bandhu Sen by just 956 votes in the 2023 elections.

The bypoll was called due to the passing of sitting MLA and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen on December 26, 2025, after a long illness at the age of 72.

Sen had a notable political career, being elected to the Tripura Assembly four times: twice as a Congress candidate in 2008 and 2013, and later in 2018 and 2023 as a BJP nominee.

The vote counting is scheduled for May 4.