Tripura registered 89.95% polling amid six minor incidents

The Assembly elections in Tripura reported 89.95 per cent turnout on Thursday amid reports of six minor violent incidents.

The percentage of polling, however, is likely to go up as elections officials are awaiting final reports of polling from parts of the state.

Police arrested six persons in connection with minor incidents during the polling. The Opposition CPI (M), however, claimed that workers of the ruling BJP attacked members and supporters of the Opposition party.

Also Read: EC notice to Tripura Congress, BJP over violation of Model Code of Conduct

The state had registered 90 per cent polling in 2018 when BJP and its ally, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) dislodged the 25-year-long left government led by the CPI (M).

"There is no report of any major violence during the polling," Chief Electoral Officer, Tripura, Kiren Gitte said after the polls on Thursday evening. "Over 400 companies of security personnel were deployed with a target of peaceful elections," he said. Elections in Tripura had witnessed major violence in the past.

People queued up since early morning to cast their votes and 32 per cent turnout was registered by 11 am. By 3 pm, nearly 70 per cent of voters had exercised their franchise.

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Chief Minister Manik Saha and Tripura Motha Chief Pradyot Deb Barma were among the first leaders who cast their votes in their respective polling stations.

On average, Tripura has 40-45 thousand voters in each Assembly seat, and a narrow margin of 500-1,000 votes makes a lot of difference in most seats.
In 2018, the BJP ended the Left's two-decade-old rule but the difference in their respective vote shares was just a little over one per cent. The BJP alone secured 43.59 per cent vote share and won 36 seats as opposed to CPI(M), which won only 16 seats but received 42.22 per cent votes. BJP's ally IPFT got eight seats with seven per cent votes.
This time the CPI (M) and Congress contested the elections in a seat-sharing arrangement while BJP and IPFT retained their alliance. Tipra Motha, a regional party led by a scion of the erstwhile Royal family Pradyot Deb Barma, on the other hand, contested the polls in 42 constituencies without any alliance or seat-sharing arrangements.

Tipra Motha made "Greater Tipraland," a separate state for 30 per cent tribal population as its main poll plank. BJP-IPFT banked mainly on the development works in the past five years for this election. In at least 40 seats, where non-tribals are in majority, the ruling BJP-IPFT alliance faced the fight from CPI (M)-Congress combine. In the remaining 20 Assembly seats under Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Tipra Motha was believed to be the main contender for BJP-IPFT.

Tripura CM Manik Saha said that BJP would get an absolute majority while the Opposition CPI(M)-Congress expressed confidence about forming their government. All eyes, however, will remain on Tipra Motha about its stand in case of a hung Assembly.

The counting of votes will be conducted on March 2.