Last Update: January 29, 2023, 7:42 pm IST
Agartala (including Jogendranagar), India
Tripura’s ruling BJP on Sunday announced the name of the saffron party’s state general secretary Papia Dutta for the prestigious Agartala assembly, a senior leader said.
Along with this, BJP has announced candidates for all 55 seats in the assembly elections to be held on February 16.
Tripura has a total of 60 assembly seats.
Dutta, a prominent leader of BJP’s Mahila Morcha, is set to take on heavyweight Congress candidate and sitting MLA Sudip Roy Barman from the Agartala constituency.
“Party has declared Papia Dutta as its candidate for Agartala constituency, has completed the nomination process. Tomorrow, party candidates along with senior party leaders will submit their nomination papers”, said party vice-president Revathi Tripura.
The Agartala constituency is currently held by lone Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, who won the seat in a by-election a few months after quitting the saffron party.
“My nomination for Agartala constituency is symbolic as all BJP workers will work tirelessly to ensure the victory of the saffron party. “I thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party’s national president JP Nadda and state leaders for reposing faith in me,” Dutta told reporters at the party headquarters.
Datta, who is trying her luck in the electoral race for the first time, said, “I am confident that we will win the Agartala assembly constituency election with the blessings of the voters.”
The saffron party has given five seats to its ally, the Indigenous People’s Party (IPFT), as part of a seat-sharing deal.
A senior party leader said on Sunday that the IPFT has also announced candidates for five assembly constituencies.
Of the four sitting legislators, only two—Prem Kumar Reang, party president, and Prashant Debbarma—were given tickets for the second time, while the party has fielded three new candidates for the upcoming elections.
The last date for nominations will be on Monday while scrutiny will be done on January 31 and February 2 will be the last date for withdrawal of nominations.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)