Agartala, Feb 13: The upcoming assembly elections in Tripura are considered to be one of the most high-voltage electoral fights in the state over the past two decades. The consolidated rule of CPI(M) - established 25 years ago - is challenged by an aggressive Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has allied with Indigenous People of Tripura Front (IPFT).

Key Candidates & Seats to Watch Out in Battle Between CPM and BJP-IPFT Combine

- Ratan Lal Nath from Mohanpur: Five-time Congress MLA and former Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Ratan Lal Nath, switched sides to the BJP ahead of the polls. Nath is contesting from his incumbent constituency of Mohanpur. He is challenged by CPM's Subhash Chandra Debnath and Congress' Swapanananda Das.

Results from 2013

Seat Winner  Votes  Party  Runner Up Candidate  Votes  Trailing Party  Margin
Mohanpur Ratan Lal Nath 19143 Congress Subhash Chandra Deb Nath 18368 CPM 775

- Sudip Roy Barman from Agartala: One of the prospective CM candidates, Barman has served as an MLA from Agartala since 1998 -- the year since when Manik Sarkar of CPM has been serving as the CPM. Barman, the former Leader of Opposition in Tripura assembly, is being challenged by CPM's Krishna Majumder and Congress' Prasanta Sen Chowdhury.

Results from 2013

Seat Winner  Votes  Party  Runner Up Candidate  Votes  Trailing Party  Margin
Agartala Sudip Roy Burman 21727 Congress Sankar Prasad Dutta 19014 CPM 2762

- Narendra Chandra Debbarma from Takarjala: The IPFT chief is contesting from the Takarjala seat, where he is pitted against Ramendra Debbarma of the CPM. Debbarma, 72, first grabbed the opposition space in 2014, when he led a high-octane campaign in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, despite being unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the Congress candidate from Takarjala is Samson Debbarma.

Results from 2013

Seat Winner  Votes  Party  Runner Up Candidate  Votes  Trailing Party  Margin
Takarjala Niranjan Debbarma 17135 CPM Rajeshwar Debbarma 16108 IPFT 1207

- Manik Sarkar from Dhanpur: The four-time CM of Tripura, who is tagged as the poorest chief minister of the nation, is contesting from his bastion of Dhanpur. Sarkar, the politburo member of the CPM, has been winning the seat with a record margin since 1993. He is being challenged by Pratima Bhoumik of BJP and Lakshmi Nag of Congress.

Results from 2013

Seat Winner  Votes  Party  Runner Up Candidate  Votes  Trailing Party  Margin
Dhanpur Manik Sarkar 21286 CPM Shah Alam 15296 Congress 6017

- Manik Dey (CPM) from Majlishpur: Considered to be the number 2 in the current Left Front government in the state, Dey is one of the tallest CPM faces in Tripura after Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. In the outgoing government, he was Minister for Power, Urban Development, Rural Development and Transport.

Results from 2013

Seat Winner  Votes  Party  Runner Up Candidate  Votes  Trailing Party  Margin
Dhanpur Manik Dey 21304 CPM Bibekananda Chowdhury 15296 Congress 6017

Dey faces a contest from the BJP's Sushanta Chowdhury and Congress' Rajib Gope. On Sunday, Chowdhury alleged attack by CPM cadres during a poll rally in the Majlishpur constituency. According to the BJP, the prospects of Chowdhury are strong from Majlishpur, considered to be the stronghold of the communists.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 13, 2018 02:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).