51.35 per cent voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm in Tripura where polling is underway for the 60-member Legislative Assembly, as per Election Commission of India. A total of 259 candidates are in fray with 58 Independent aspirants.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is contesting on 55 seats while its ally Indigeneous People's Front of Tripura has fielded candidates in six seats. The two parties will be having a friendly fight on one seat.
The left Front is contesting 47 seats and the Congress 13 constituencies while the Trinamool Congress has fielded nominees in 28 constituencies.
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The polling began at 7 am amid tight security said Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao on Thursday, reported news agency PTI. 28.13 lakh voters are scheduled to exercise their franchise during the day in 3,337 polling stations across the northeastern state to determine the fate of 259 candidates, he said.
Of the total 3,337 polling booths, 1,100 have been identified as sensitive while 28 of them have been marked as critical. As many as 97 polling stations are being managed by women polling officers, the report stated.
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No untoward incident or EVM technical snag was reported from any part of the state in the first hour, said the polling official, and added that the international and interstate boundaries have been sealed to keep trouble makers at bay during the poll process.
The incumbent BJP is facing a tough challenge from the Left and new entrant Tipra Motha. The saffron party is looking for another tenure in the state amid a three-faced contest.
Notably, Congress and CPI(M), which have been arch rivals for years, came together and formed a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling saffron party.