Agartala: Senior member of CPIM Politburo and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar could come back to electoral politics and contest the by-election from his home turf Dhanpur in the Sepahijala district.
The constituency fell vacant after Union Minister of State Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhowmick clinched victory in the recent assembly polls, defeating CPIM’s Kaushik Chanda.
The veteran CPIM leader reportedly opted out of the electoral contest citing his willingness to work on the organisational side rather than electoral politics. “That was a six-month-old decision. In politics, several factors are taken into consideration before making any concrete decision. If the party wants him to fight the election and sees that Sarkar’s face gives rise to the party’s winning possibilities then he will respect the party’s decision”, a senior CPIM leader told EastMojo requesting anonymity.
For the past few days, Sarkar had been travelling to different parts of the Sepahijala district for the party’s organisational works. He visited the violence-ravaged areas under the Sonamura subdivision. During his visit, Sarkar interacted with the local MLAs, people who had been at the receiving end of the post-poll violence.
It is worthy to be mentioned here that, even though BJP formed its first government in 2018 defeating the Left, Manik Sarkar emerged victorious from Dhanpur and he defeated Pratima Bhoumik. But before the 2023 polls, he pleaded with the party leadership to be relieved from electoral politics.
EASTMOJO PREMIUM
Help sustain honest journalism.
CPIM insiders believe Sarkar’s absence in Dhanpur as a candidate adversely affected the party’s poll prospects not only in that particular constituency but elsewhere as well. “Sarkar is respected by people cutting across political lines and he was never found to be entangled in any controversy. If he fights the by-poll, CPIM may improve its tally further in the state assembly”, another CPIM leader said.
Political Observers believe with the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, if opposition parties can snatch another seat from the clutches of the BJP, it will help the opposition front convey a strong message. Given all these factors, the chances of Sarkar contesting the by-poll are very high.
Also Read | CM urges industrialists to invest in Tripura in G-20 event