West Tripura LS polls, around 70 pc turnout recorded till 3 PM, CEO says peaceful voting continues

Around 70 percent voter turnout was registered till 3 PM on Friday in the West Tripura Lok Sabha seat amid tight security.

The voting in 1686 polling booths across West Tripura Lok Sabha seats going on amidst tight security. While, opposition parties claimed that large scale mal-practices has been conducted by ruling party supporters including maximum polling agents of INDIA Bloc parties were forcefully obstructed to enter into polling stations and large number of opposition voters were also obstructed to cast their votes.

Election officials said that over 56.68 percent voters cast their votes in the by-elections to the 7-Ramnagar assembly seat till 3 PM.

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

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura Puneet Agarwal after casting his vote in Agartala said that by and large polling is peaceful and he hoped that final percentage would above 83 percent.

“We have received many complaints over forceful obstructions of some voters and polling agents of few parties were not allowed to enter into the polling stations,” said Agarwal and poll personnel are now reviewing all complaints received till now.

Over question of forceful obstruction of voters in Ramnagar assembly constituency, Agarwal said their team are in touch with some polling agents and investigating the complaints received from CPI(M) candidate Ratan Das.

He said that all voters are enthusiastically voting across the constituency and all polling station under web casting  and there no disturbances inside any polling stations.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr 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 by-polls 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 important parliamentary seat.

The main contest is expected between former Tripura Chief Minister and BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb, and state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha, of the INDIA Bloc

The voting also going on simultaneously for the by-election 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 the BJP and the CPI-M, are trying their electoral fortunes in the Ramnagar Assembly by-poll.

Over 20,000 polling personnel would conduct the voting in 1,686 polling stations in the Tripura West Parliamentary constituency. Voting would continue till 5 p.m. without any interruption.