Tripura sees over 81% polling amid minor violence

With a huge voter turnout of 81.10 per cent, Tripura on Thursday passed peaceful, but tensed voting day for 60 Assembly seats. The fate of the 259 candidates were sealed in the ongoing polls.
A person allegedly suffered a leg injury during a clash between suppporters of the ruling BJP and Opposition CPI outside a polling booth in Tripura, amid the ongoing Assembly elections in the state, the chief election officer of Tripura said.
The incident took place outside the Kalacherra polling station in Shantirbazaar Assembly constituency in the south Tripura district. “The injured person was taken to a hospital by our officials,” the CEO Tripura, Kiran Gitte, informed in a tweet.

A FIR was filed suo moto at the Shantirbaazar police station, the CEO informed further, adding, “We’ll arrest the culprits soon.” He added that the injured CPI worker wasn’t able to identify his attackers.
Confirming the incident, SP, South Tripura District, said the situation was brought under control. “Polling resumed shortly after the incident,” the SP said in a tweet.
“The incident reported from Santirbazar has been promptly responded to by SDPO Santirbazar, OC STB and Police/Civil Sector Officers,” the SP tweeted. “Police and Civil sector officer were immediately rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control,” SP said further in his tweet.
“A clash between BJP AND CPI was reported from Kalachera area under Santirbazar police station. Polling is continuing smoothly,” said the distict magistrate of South Belonia, in his response to the SP’s tweet.
Szarita Laitphlang, the national secretary of the Congress, tagged the Election Commison in a tweet in which he also shared pictures of the injured CPI supporter.
“BJP goons attacked Chandan Das and Shipan Majumdar in Shantir Bazar. Police were mere spectators in the entire incident,” Laitphlang tweeted.
The polls this year are seeing a triangular contest, with the Congress-CPM fighting in alliance and the Trinamool Congress also fielding candidates in several seats. The Tipra Motha, an alliance of regional outfits, is the dark horse in the ongoing election and could emerge as the kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly.
A total of 259 candidates, including 20 women, are in the fray in Tripura. The counting of votes will be done on March 2.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting the polls in alliance with the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT). BJP has fielded candidates in 55 constituencies

while IPFT is contesting five seats. BJP has fielded 12 women candidates.
The BJP had stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and had ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.
The BJP is exuding confidence that it will improve its performance. Party’s top leaders including Prime Minster Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and party chief JP Nadda campaigned in the state. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath also campaigned in Tripura.
The Left Front was contesting 47 seats and Congress is contesting on 13. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and senior party leaders Brinda Karat, Prakash Karat, Mohammad Salim and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar campaigned for the party in Tripura.
The BJP had declared candidates for 55 assembly seats, leaving the remaining five seats for its ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). The Left-Congress alliance declared candidates for all 60 seats.
According to Election Commission, there were over 28.14 lakh registered voters this year of which 14,15,233 are men, 13,99,289 are women and 62 belong to the third gender.
Polling is underway in a total of 3,337 polling stations.
Adequate security arrangements were made for the polls, with 97 all-women police stations. As many as 94,815 voters are in the age group of 18-19 years while 6,21,505 belong in 22-29 age group. The highest number of voters is in the 40-59 age group, at 9,81,089.
Tripura is the first state to go to the polls this year while polling for Nagaland and Meghalaya assemblies will be held on 27 February. Five more states will go to polls this year, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.