Agartala: The voting for the Tripura Assembly elections began amid tight security at 7.00 am on Thursday and will continue till 4.00 pm at 3,337 polling stations.
According to the Election Commission of India, more than 28.14 lakh electorates are eligible to cast their franchise.
Tight security arrangements have been made for the polls. The state has 97 all-women-managed police stations. The fate of the 259 candidates will be sealed on 60 Assembly seats today.
A triangular contest is on the cards as Congress and CPI(M), which have been arch rivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance to defeat the ruling BJP while the BJP which is looking to retain its power is contesting in alliance with Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) and the Tipra Motha. Tipra Morcha is likely to emerge as the kingmaker in case of a hung assembly scenario. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has also put up candidates for several seats.
The BJP is contesting on 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. The Left is contesting 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively. Of the total 47 seats, the CPM is contesting 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) have fielded candidates in one constituency each.
Over 28 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in the election for the 60-member Assembly in the border state. A total of 259 candidates, including 20 women, are in the fray in Tripura. The counting of votes will be done on March 2.
(IANS)
