CPI-M will be hoping to cash in on the clean image of Manik Sarkar, regarded as the country's poorest chief minister, besides a possible split of Congress votes to see its candidate Shankar Prasad Dutta through in West Tripura which is going to polls on Monday.
Dutta, a former MLA and secretary of the state unit of CITU, had replaced sitting CPI-M MP Khagen Das, who could not contest for the third time due to his ill health. Das had also won in 2004.
Political observers are of the view that Trinamool Congress and BJP may cut a sizable section of Congress votes and this may help Dutta win.
Congress' nominee is Arunoday Saha, the first Vice- Chancellor of Tripura Central University while Ratan Chakraborty, who deserted Congress along with Surajit Dutta last year, is the Trinamool candidate and Sudhindra Chandra Dasgupta BJP's.
Thirteen candidates are in the fray for Monday elections in West Tripura seat which has 12,46,794 voters -- 634702 men and 612092 women.
CPI-M has won the seat 10 times since 1952 and five times consecutively since 1996.
Congress suffered a jolt after the assembly elections in the state held in February last year when two of its prominent leaders - Chakraborty and Datta - deserted the party saying they were unhappy with the state leadership and joined Trinamool Congress.
Former Congress MLA Subal Bhowmik is contesting as Tripura Pragatishil Gramin Congress candidate who is also likely to cut a share of votes of Congress.
Chakraborty said, "We would emerge as the main contender of CPI-M, but presence of BJP and Congress in the fray may help CPI-M. Anyway we have to emerge as the main political force in the state."
According to CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar, the party is harping on the state government's good governance, containing of insurgency and its welfare activities.
BJP candidate Dasgupta claimed that the strong chances of a government being formed at the Centre by his party has put him in a comfortable position.
While West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had addressed rally here in support of their candidates, Chief Minister Sarkar has emerged as the main campaigner for CPI-M.
