Dharmanagar bypoll vote count begins at 8 am under three-tier security
Synopsis
Votes are being counted in the Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll — a seat made vacant by the death of Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen — with BJP, Congress, and CPI(M) all fielding serious candidates. The 2023 margin was just 956 votes, making Monday's result a genuine three-way contest with statewide political implications.
Key Takeaways
Counting for the Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll began at 8 am on Monday with results expected by Monday afternoon .
Votes from 55 EVMs will be counted in four rounds at a single hall with 14 counting tables .
A three-tier security arrangement involving CRPF , Tripura State Rifles , and state police is in place; prohibitory orders imposed within 100 metres of the counting centre.
Voter turnout was approximately 80% of 46,142 registered voters , including 23,758 women .
The bypoll was triggered by the death of Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen on December 26 last year at age 72 .
Key candidates: Jahar Chakraborti (BJP), Chayan Bhattacharjee (Congress), and Amitabha Datta (Left Front); Congress lost the seat in 2023 by just 956 votes .
Counting of votes for the Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll in North Tripura district commenced at 8 am on Monday under a three-tier security arrangement, officials said. The bypoll was held on April 9, with results expected to be declared by Monday afternoon.
Counting Process and Arrangements
Election officials confirmed that postal ballots will be counted first, followed by votes recorded in 55 Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) across four rounds of counting. A single counting hall has been set up at the North Tripura district headquarters in Dharmanagar, with 14 tables — including one exclusively for postal ballots — each supervised by a counting supervisor and counting assistants. Central observers appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) are monitoring the process.
Security Measures in Place
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Ratiranjan Debnath told the media that the three-tier security arrangement covers the counting centre and its surroundings. Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Tripura State Rifles, and state police personnel have been deployed in adequate numbers, according to North Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Chandni Chandran, who is also the District Election Officer, and Returning Officer Debjani Choudhury.
Prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed within a 100-metre radius of the counting centre from 6 am on Monday until the conclusion of counting, to ensure a peaceful process.
Voter Turnout and Background
Approximately 80 per cent of the 46,142 registered voters — including 23,758 women — exercised their franchise in the bypoll on April 9. The bypoll was necessitated by the demise of sitting MLA and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, who passed away on December 26 last year at a private hospital in Bengaluru after a prolonged illness at the age of 72.
Sen had represented the Dharmanagar constituency four times — twice as a Congress candidate in 2008 and 2013, and subsequently in 2018 and 2023 as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee. The constituency has been a stronghold of either the Congress or the BJP since 2008, with the CPI(M) last winning the seat in 2003.
Key Candidates and Political Contest
Six candidates are in the fray, making the contest highly competitive. The key nominees are Jahar Chakraborti of the BJP — currently serving as the party's North Tripura district Vice-President at age 59 — Chayan Bhattacharjee of the Congress, and Amitabha Datta representing the CPI(M)-led Left Front. Notably, Datta had won the seat in the 2003 Assembly elections. Candidates from the Amra Bangali party, the Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist, and an Independent aspirant are also contesting.
The Left Front and the Congress, which had entered into a seat-sharing arrangement during the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, are contesting separately this time — a split that adds another dimension to the political battle. In 2023, Congress candidate Bhattacharjee, backed by the Left parties, had lost narrowly to BJP's Biswa Bandhu Sen by a margin of just 956 votes. Whether that narrow gap closes or widens will be known when results are declared later on Monday.
Point of View
Who coordinated in 2023 and still lost by only 956 votes, are now contesting separately — a decision that arithmetically benefits the BJP. Whether that split proves decisive will test whether alliance discipline or individual candidate strength matters more in a constituency that has swung between Congress and BJP for nearly two decades. The result will also signal how much political capital the BJP retains in North Tripura following the death of a four-term MLA who was also the Assembly Speaker.
NationPress
4 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Dharmanagar bypoll result be declared?
The Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll result is expected to be declared by Monday afternoon, 4 May 2025. Counting began at 8 am and will proceed in four rounds across 14 counting tables.
Why was the Dharmanagar bypoll held?
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, who passed away on 26 December last year at a private hospital in Bengaluru after a prolonged illness at the age of 72.
Who are the main candidates in the Dharmanagar bypoll?
The key candidates are Jahar Chakraborti of the BJP, Chayan Bhattacharjee of the Congress, and Amitabha Datta of the CPI(M)-led Left Front. Three other candidates — from Amra Bangali, Socialist Unity Centre of India-Communist, and an Independent — are also contesting.
What was the voter turnout in the Dharmanagar bypoll?
Approximately 80 per cent of the 46,142 registered voters, including 23,758 women, cast their votes in the Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll on 9 April 2025.
Why are the Left Front and Congress contesting separately in this bypoll?
Despite a seat-sharing arrangement during the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, the Left Front and Congress chose to contest the Dharmanagar bypoll independently. In 2023, their combined effort still fell short, with Congress candidate Chayan Bhattacharjee losing to BJP's Biswa Bandhu Sen by a narrow margin of 956 votes.
