Agartala, March 10: The Left Front in Tripura on Monday announced its candidates for the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and the Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll, fielding more than 70 percent fresh faces.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], the dominant partner in the Left Front, will contest 25 of the 28 seats in the TTAADC elections. The remaining three seats have been allotted to other Left Front partners — the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), with one seat each.

According to the list released by the Left Front, a total of 27 candidates have been declared so far, of whom 20 are first-time contestants.
CPI(M) state secretary and Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury said the candidates represent a blend of experience and youth.

He added that the party has nominated leaders committed to raising issues related to people’s rights and welfare.

Among the candidates, Karim Debbarma (27), contesting from the Asharambari–Halahali constituency, is the youngest, while former Chief Executive Member of the TTAADC and senior leader Radhacharan Debbarma (63) is the oldest candidate. Seven candidates are above 50 years of age and three are over 60, while the remaining nominees are younger leaders.

Chaudhury said the party announced the candidates in advance as TTAADC elections are usually held by mid-April. With March already underway, the party expects the poll schedule to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) has also nominated former MLA Amitabha Datta as its candidate for the Dharmanagar Assembly bypoll in North Tripura district. The bypoll was necessitated following the demise of sitting MLA and Speaker of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Biswabandhu Sen.

Chaudhury said the party will contest the bypoll as part of the democratic process.