Tripura: Around 34 pc voter turnout recorded in simultaneous polls

AGARTALA — The polling percentage in Tripura till 11 a.m. was 34.6 per cent for Tripura West Lok Sabha seat and Ramnagar Assembly seat. Around 16 per cent voter turnout was registered till 9 a.m. in the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat amid tight security, election officials said on Friday.

Election officials added that over 12.28 per cent voters cast their votes in the byelections to the Ramnagar Assembly seat.

Though there is no untoward incident reported from anywhere in the parliamentary constituency, state Congress President Asish Kumar Saha alleged that party agents were not allowed to enter several polling stations.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, after casting his vote at a school here, expressed his confidence that BJP would win in Tripura’s two Lok Sabha seats and Ramnagar Assembly seat.

Polling for the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat and the Ramnagar Assembly segment, where bypolls are being held, started on Friday morning under strict security arrangements.

Election officials said that 14.63 lakh voters, including 7.34 lakh women electorate, would decide the fate of nine candidates in the politically significant parliamentary seat.

The main contest is expected between former Tripura Chief Minister and BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb, and state Congress President Asish Kumar Saha of INDIA bloc.

The voting is also going on simultaneously for the byelection to the Ramnagar Assembly seat, which fell vacant after the demise of sitting BJP MLA Surajit Datta on December 28, last year.

Two candidates, one each of BJP and CPI-M, are trying their electoral fortunes in the Ramnagar Assembly bypoll.

Over 20,000 polling personnel would conduct voting in 1,686 polling stations in Tripura West Parliamentary constituency.

Voting would continue till 5 p.m. without any interruption.