Agartala, Aug 13 (IANS): The three main opposition parties in Tripura -- CPI-M, Congress and Tipra Motha Party (TMP) -- on Saturday held a joint meeting and discussed how to fight the September 5 bypolls to two Assembly seats in the state jointly against the ruling BJP.

The leader of opposition and senior TMP leader Animesh Debbarma said that Saturday’s meeting was a preliminary discussion, and further discussions between the three parties will be held again after the parties discuss within their respective forum.

Debbarma said that in the February 16 Assembly polls, the BJP secured 40 per cent votes but it retained power, while the opposition parties got 60 per cent votes.

“In the September 5 by-elections, we want to prevent the opposition vote division,” the tribal leader told the media.

CPI-M state secretary Jitendra Choudhury, senior Left leaders Manik Dey and Ratan Bhowmik, Congress MLAs Sudip Roy Barman and Gopal Chandra Roy and state Congress President Asish Kumar Saha were present at the meeting.

The ruling BJP also held a meeting to finalise its strategy to contest the bypolls.Chief Minister Manik Saha, state BJP President Rajib Bhattacharjee and senior party leaders were present at the meeting.

The by-election in Dhanpur Assembly seat was necessitated after Union minister Pratima Bhoumik resigned from the Assembly days after her election from the seat as a BJP nominee.

The Muslim-dominated Boxanagar Assembly seat fell vacant after the death of sitting CPI-M MLA Samsul Haque, who passed away on July 19 after a cardiac attack.