Agartala:
Eight months ahead of the crucial assembly polls in the state, the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Friday retained the Nalchar seat by increasing its victory margin from the previous polls.
"CPI-M candidate Tapan Chandra Das, who secured 18,001 votes, defeated Congress nominee Dwijendralal Majumder, who got 13,224 votes, by a margin of 4,777 votes," returning officer Sankar Chakraborty told IANS on phone.
The CPI-M's victory margin was 2,532 votes in the previous assembly polls in February 2008.
Though four candidates from parties including CPI-M, Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), contested the June 12 by-election in the Nalchar assembly seat (reserved for scheduled caste category), the main contest was between the CPI-M's Tapan Chandra Das and the Congress' Dwijendralal Majumder.
With Friday's win, the Nalchar assembly constituency has won seven times by the CPI-M and two times by the Congress since Tripura became a full-fledged state in February 1972.
According to the returning officer, BJP candidate Parimal Burman managed just 463 votes.
Tuesday's by-election was necessitated following the death of ruling CPI-M legislator Sukumar Barman March 10.
CPI-M spokesman Gautam Das reacting to the victory said, "The by-poll outcome has come as a slap for the misinformation campaign by a section of the media and Congress leaders."
He said, "The voters of Nalchar have responded positively towards the development, success and pro-people policies of the Left Front government. The people have given a befitting reply to the anti-development and anti-people parties like Congress and their supporters."
Political observers feel that the by-poll result, which comes eight months ahead of the elections to the 60-seat assembly in the lone Left-ruled state Tripura, is politically significant for both the ruling Left parties and the main opposition Congress.
Elections to the Tripura state assembly are scheduled in February 2013.
Top CPI-M leaders, including Chief Minister and CPI-M politburo member Manik Sarkar, and senior AICC general secretary Luizinho Faleiro, Tripura Congress president Sudip Roy Barman and Leader of Opposition Ratan Lal Nath had campaigned in the by-poll to win the vital elections.