AGARTALA, Sep 27 (TIWN): After the victory of BJP in the Badharghat by-election against CPI-M and Congress, BJP leader, MLA Sushanta Chwodhury said that this time BJP has proven how to conduct a free and fair election which in last 25 years people never witnessed.

“Various by-elections, this state witnessed earlier, but such kind of free and fair election nobody has seen previously. We have proven how go through peaceful electoral process”, Chowhdury told media.

Sushanta Chowdhury further mentioned that this time opposition and media also did not report about rigging and intimidation which previously was done however.

He thanked the Badharghat voters for making BJP candidate Mimi Majudmer the winner with more than 5,000 votes.

“It has proven people’s trust on the BJP Govt is as before. It happened due to various pro-people works and projects of the Govt”, added Sushanta Chowhdury.

BJP candidate Mimi Majumder on Friday won the Badharghat Assembly by-poll in Tripura defeating her nearest CPI-M rival Bulti Biswas by a margin of 5,276 votes, election officials said.

According to the Election Commission officials, ruling Bharatiya Janata Party nominee Majumder secured 20,487 votes while her CPI-M-led Left Front rival and woman candidate Biswas got 15,211 votes.  Congress aspirant Ratan Chandra Das managed 9,105 votes while SUCI (C) contender Mridul Kanti Sarkar bagged only 470 votes. The officials said that 667 votes were cast in NOTA (None Of The Above) category. 

The by-election in Badharghat Assembly seat, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, was necessitated following the death of sitting BJP legislator Dilip Sarkar. The by-poll was held on September 23. According to EC documents, the vote share of ruling BJP compared to the last year''s Assembly polls and Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, was reduced by a few thousand.  With the election of teacher-turned-politician Mimi Majumder, the number of women legislators in the 60-member House rose to four - three of BJP and one of CPI-M.