Tripura: BJP Wins Muslim-Majority Boxanagar & Dhanpur Assembly Seats

The BJP secured convincing wins in the Boxanagar and Dhanpur assembly constituencies during the Tripura by-elections held on September 5.

In Boxanagar, a previous stronghold of the CPIM, the BJP’s Tafajjal Hossain defeated the CPIM’s Mizan Hussain by an impressive margin of over 30,000 votes. Muslims make up over 55 percent of the total electorate in Boxanagar, which makes this win a significant political development.

Mizan Hussain, the son of former MLA Samsul Haque, who passed away in July this year, received only 3,903 votes, while Tafajjal Hossain secured 34,146 votes in Boxanagar.
In Dhanpur, the CPIM’s bastion between 1972 and 2018, Bindu Debnath of the BJP won against the CPIM candidate Kaushik Chanda by a margin of 18,871 votes.

It is the first time that the BJP gained a victory in a Muslim-majority constituency.
Tafajjal Hossain said, “By voting for me with an overwhelming majority, the Muslims of Boxanagar have clearly conveyed that they don’t view the BJP as untouchable. This sends a message to Muslims all over the country that the BJP is committed to inclusive development without discrimination.”

He also highlighted the BJP’s growing vote share in Boxanagar, noting that in this 2023 assembly elections, his vote share was 37.76%, whereas the winning CPI(M) candidate, Samsul Haque, had 50.34%.

Hossain added, “In the 2018 assembly polls, the CPI(M) received 57.76%, while the BJP secured 34.45%. In 2013, the BJP candidate, Mantu Sarkar, had only 1.43% of the votes.”

Bindu Debnath, the winning candidate in Dhanpur said, “Tribals (14 per cent of the electorate) have supported me wholeheartedly including all sections of the people. Tribals have realised that only the BJP can fulfil their aspirations and needs.”