Agartala, Aug 16 (IANS): For the first time in over five years, a direct contest would be held between the ruling BJP and the opposition CPI-M-led Left Front in the September 5 by-polls to two Assembly seats in Tripura. 

The Congress and Tipra Motha Party (TMP), other two opposition parties, have decided not to field candidates in the two assembly seats and support the Left candidates to prevent division of vote share of opposition parties.

The CPI-M has nominated Mizan Hossain in the Boxanagar seat and Kaushik Chanda in Dhanpur seat. The ruling BJP would field Taffajal Hossain in Boxanagar and Bindu Debnath in Dhanpur seat.

CPI-M's Mizan Hossain and BJP's Bindu Debnath are contesting elections for the first time while Chanda and Taffajal Hossain have contested the assembly polls in February 16 this year.

The three main opposition parties in Tripura -- CPI-M, Congress and TMP -- held a meeting on Saturday and discussed how to fight the by-polls to two Assembly seats in the state jointly against the ruling BJP.

The leader of opposition and senior TMP leader Animesh Debbarma said that in September 5 by-elections, they want to prevent the opposition vote division and ensure the BJP's defeat.

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 February polls, the Left parties and the Congress contested the elections together in a seat adjustment method while the TMP fought separately.

The by-election in the 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.

Haque passed away on July 19 after a cardiac attack.