Tripura Election 2023 Live Updates: EC says tentative voter turnout recorded at around 80%, polling remained 'largely violence-free'

The Election Commission on Thursday said the Tripura assembly polls remained "largely violence-free", with Bru migrant voters being able to exercise their franchise for the first time in many years.

The tentative voter turnout was recorded at around 80 per cent. Final turnout figures will be known by Friday, it said.

No complaints have been received so far by the EC demanding repolling, EC officials said.

"There have been no reports of any major violence or attack on candidates or (polling) agents, intimidation of voters, throwing of bombs, repoll (or) damage to EVMs. As against 168 repolls in the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, today's polls in 60 assembly seats in Tripura have been largely peaceful with no (demand for) repoll reported so far," the poll panel said.

The CEO said EVM malfunctioning was reported in 40-45 places but all the machines were replaced and voting resumed, adding the ECI is sending additional forces wherever required, PTI reported.

Sporadic incidents of violence were also reported during the exercise.

A CPI(M) local committee secretary was injured after being attacked by unidentified people in Boxanagar area in Sepahijala district. He was taken to a nearby health facility, where his condition is stated to be stable, a police officer said.

Two CPI(M) polling agents were also severely beaten up in Kakraban assembly constituency in Gomati district. A vehicle belonging to the polling agent of CPI(M) candidate Pabitra Kar was also ransacked at Khayerpur in West Tripura district, he said. (PTI)

Tripura Congress & BJP units, BJP general secretary Dilip Saikia got EC notice for seeking votes on Twitter when polling was under way, reported news agency PTI.

rahul kumar thakurAccording to election officials, the voter turnout in the state was 69.96% as of 3pm, which is relatively slow. Despite this, there are still a significant number of voters waiting in queues at many polling stations during the last hour of voting. Officials predict that the final voter turnout may exceed 85%.

Seizures totalling over Rs 147 crore have been recorded so far in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland, marking a 20-fold increase in recovery of drugs, liquor and cash meant to induce voters in the run up to the polls, the Election Commission said on Thursday. While polls are underway in Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland will have assembly elections on February 27. (PTI)

Former CM and CPM Politburo member Manik Sarkar alleged that ruling party cadres resorted to violence and preventing voters at in Dhanpur and Mohanpur at the behest of Union Minister Pratima Bhowmik and Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath - both are contesting as BJP nominee from the seats respectively. He expressed resentment over the response of election machinary and sought attention of ECI

Tripura witnessed a voter turnout of over 32 per cent till 11am in the ongoing polling for 60 assembly seats.The state recorded a 13.23 per cent voter turnout till 9 am.Polling started at 7am and will continue till 4pm.

Tripura chief minister Manik Saha on Thursday exuded confidence that the BJP will secure absolute majority in the Assembly elections, which got underway at 7 am. The saffron party will perform better than what it did in the previous election, Saha, who is contesting the polls from Town Bardowali Assembly constituency, claimed."I am hundred per cent confident that the BJP will secure absolute majority in the elections. The party may get more seats than it did the last time," he told reporters on his way to a polling booth at Maharani Tulsibati Girls' School here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday appealed to people in Tripura to vote in "record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy" and specially called on the youth of the northeastern state to exercise their franchise in the Assembly elections that began today amid tight security."Urging the people of Tripura to vote in record numbers and strengthen the festival of democracy. I especially call upon the youth to exercise their franchise," tweeted PM Modi.

In Tripura assembly elections, all 3,337 polling stations have more than one polling agent from political parties. This is unprecedented. Polling started in all 60 Assembly constituencies. EVMs which were not functioning properly were replaced expeditiously by the Engineers. Long queues are seen in all polling stations early in the morning!

To maintain communication networks with the central paramilitary force's (CPMF) and police forces, a joint control room is being established which has become operational on Wednesday for round the clock to facilitate uninterrupted security surveillance. READ FULL STORY

Tripura goes to polls on Thursday with far too many variables than BJP would have liked in its bid for a second successive term to cap a historic victory five years ago — a new tribal challenger on the block in TIPRA Motha, a prickly alliance between foes-turnedfriends CPM and Congress, and an ambitious TMC.The state’s politics, often sullied by violence, got murkier in the run-up to the polls when royal scion P radyot Kishore Debbarman’s TIPRA Motha briefly appeared inclined to an arrangement with BJP before deciding to go it alone by citing its “Greater Tipraland” goal.

A total of 14,005 Reang tribals, displaced from Mizoram 26 years ago following ethnic troubles, will cast their votes for the first time in Tripura on Thursday, officials said on Wednesday. The 14,005 voters are part of the 37,136 Reang tribals who fled to Tripura in October 1997 and in subsequent years and took shelter in seven relief camps in north Tripura's Kanchanpur and Panisagar subdivisions. Election officials said that the Reang tribals, locally called "Bru", would cast their votes in different polling stations in four districts. As per the four-partite agreement, signed on January 16, 2020, between the Union home ministry, Mizoram and Tripura governments and the Reang tribals, the 37,136 tribals comprising 6,959 families would be settled in Tripura's different districts and 21,703 eligible voters from among the displaced people would be enrolled in the electoral lists of Tripura. (IANS)

Tripura is going to witness a triangular poll battle today, the first major election in 2023, between the BJP-IPFT combine, the Left-Congress alliance and the newly floated regional party, the Tipra Motha, led by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma. Coming ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Tripura assembly election is a key test for the ruling BJP, which is facing a challenge from the two-year-old Tipra Motha. The latter has made deep inroads into tribal constituencies, buoyed by its victory in the 2021 tribal council (TTAADC) polls. In the 60-member state assembly, 20 seats are reserved for tribal areas that hold the key to power in the northeastern state. Adding to BJP’s woes, the ruling party’s tribal ally IPFT has faced desertions in the past few months with many leaders and workers joining the Tipra Motha.

Polling begans with a brisk turnout at 7am on Thursday across 3,328 polling stations - including 1,100 sensitive and 28 marked critical - in 60 assembly constituencies of Tripura amid high-security cover, an election official said. According to Election Commission, over 28.14 lakh electorates of which 14,15,233 are male voters, 13,99,289 are woman voters and 62 are of the third gender, are eligible to cast their franchise. Adequate security arrangements have been made for the polls. The state has 97 all-women-managed police stations. It has 94,815 voters in the 18-19 age group and 6,21,505 in the 22-29 age group. The highest number of voters are in the 40-59 age group at 9,81,089.

Tripura goes to polls on Thursday with far too many variables than BJP would have liked in its bid for a second successive term to cap a historic victory five years ago — a new tribal challenger on the block in TIPRA Motha, a prickly alliance between foes-turnedfriends CPM and Congress, and an ambitious TMC. The state’s politics, often sullied by violence, got murkier in the run-up to the polls when royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s TIPRA Motha briefly appeared inclined to an arrangement with BJP before deciding to go it alone by citing its “Greater Tipraland” goal. With BJP’s old ally IPFT being pr opped up as a foil forTIPRA Motha in the race for the tribal heartland, the battlelines are drawn in onethird of the 60 assembly seats where the native population will determine the vote. In 2018, voters across the northeast’s southern tip, ringed by Bangladesh from three sides, had voted overwhelmingly for change and elected the BJP-IPFT combine to form a new governmen t in the erstwhile Left citadel of 25 years. This timearound, there’s more than the Left to contend with for BJP to repeat the saffronsurge.

Voting for the 60 assembly seats of Tripura begins; fate of 259 candidates in the fray.

Tipra Motha chairman Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Tuesday announced that he will quit politics after the February 16 assembly elections and will never seek votes as ‘Bubagra' (king). Addressing a rally here on the last day of the campaign, the scion of the former royal family of Tripura said many leaders have deserted him without understanding his feeling for putting up a fight for protecting the rights of poor people who have no food, shelter and education access. “Today is my last speech on a political stage and I will never seek votes as a Bubagra after the assembly elections. It pained me but I have fought a tough battle for you”, he said. "It is sure Bubagra will not be in politics after March 2 but I will be with my people forever. I will work for healthcare, education, giving scholarships to the poor," he added.

As the high voltage poll campaign ended in Tripura, the district administration of West Tripura prepared adequate security arrangements on multiple fronts-- ranging from establishing a mega control room or helpline centre, to conduct a hassle-free election. A mega control room has been set up in the district magistrate (DM) office to improve the security system on the day of the election. "We have total 789 polling stations in this district. We have deployed CAPF personnel in each and every polling stations. Apart from this, many types of force multiplier, like micro observer, web casting have been taken up," West Tripura's DM Debapriya Bardhan told ANI.

As part of the precautionary measures, prohibitory order has already been imposed across the state and it will remain in force till 6 am on February 17, a senior police officer said. The international and inter-state boundaries have also been sealed to prevent trouble mongers from entering the state.

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.