Congress candidate Ratan Das with party leader Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress has decided to field party leader Ratan Das from Badhraghat-SC constituency for the Tripura Assembly bypolls slated for September 23.

Interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday announced Das as the party candidate for Assembly bypolls.

โ€œSonia Gandhi has approved the candidature of Ratan Das as Congress candidate for the ensuing bye-elections to the Legislative Assembly of Tripura from Badhraghat-SC constituency,โ€ party general secretary (chief election committee) Mukul Wasnik said in a statement.

The bye-poll in Tripuraโ€™s Badhraghat was necessitated after sitting MLA Dilip Sarkar died in early April this year after a prolonged illness.