Tripura Polls 2018: Over 25 lakh voters to decide fate of 292 candidates

The voter turnout recorded till 9 pm is 78.56 per cent. The polling is still underway at few polling stations. The voting slips were distributed till 4 pm and those voters are at the booths: Election Commission

76 per cent voter turnout in 41 constituencies.

65 per cent voter turnout has been recorded till 3:00 PM.

Over 23% voter turnout recorded till 11 am, reports ANI

Incumbent Chief Minister Manik Sarkar casts his vote.   

Tripura CM Manik Sarkar casts his vote at a polling booth in Agartala, he is an MLA from Dhanpur constituency #TripuraElection2018. pic.twitter.com/UniDo6VGIf

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

Voting will end at 4 pm in all the 3,214 polling stations in the state, election office sources said.
 

"These election results will be historic, we will definitely win," says BJP Tripura President Biplab Kumar Deb

BJP #Tripura President Biplab Kumar Deb cast his vote at booth number 31/34 in Udaipur, says, 'these election results will be historic, we will definitely win. PM & Amit Shah ji called me & gave good wishes.' #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/9JuawbE2QL

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

Visuals from polling booth number 6/20 in Agartala's Bhati Abhay Nagar where BJP candidate Sudip Roy Barman is the sitting MLA.

Aerial shots from outside polling booth number 6/20 in Agartala's Bhati Abhay Nagar. BJP's Sudip Roy Barman is the sitting MLA from Agartala. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/vX2Jg1gh2Q

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

"Apprehending troubles by some tribal outfit, a record 50,000 para-military and other state security personnel have been deployed while two air surveillance team led by senior officials are conducting surveillance by helicopters," the election official.

In all, 2,536,589 people, including 1,250,128 women and 47,803 first-time voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 292 candidates, including 23 women and many independents.

"Men and women in large numbers queued up in front of many polling stations well before polling opened at 7 a.m. in the entire state. Polling ends at 4 p.m.," said Sriram Taranikanti, the Chief Electoral Officer.

"I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Tripura, particularly young voters, to turnout in record numbers and cast their vote in the Assembly Elections," tweets PM Modi.

I appeal to my sisters and brothers of Tripura, particularly young voters, to turnout in record numbers and cast their vote in the Assembly Elections.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 18, 2018

Inside visuals from polling booth number 6/20 in Agartala's Bhati Abhay Nagar. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/lwH7DYldBr

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

Tripura: People at polling booth number 6/20 in Agartala's Bhati Abhay Nagar. #TripuraElection2018 pic.twitter.com/uIfm6cyOPy

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

Early morning visuals from Udaipur

#TripuraElection2018: Voters queue up at polling booth number 31/34 in Tripura's Udaipur. 59 out of the total 60 seats are being contested for in these elections, pic.twitter.com/wOhAM635SJ

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

Early morning visuals outside polling booth in Udaipur, Tripura

Visuals of people outside a polling booth in #Tripura's Udaipur. Polling to begin at 7am for 59 out of the total 60 seats. pic.twitter.com/60zwcIjimm

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2018

Several people had queued outside few polling booths early in the morning. 

Voting began in 59 out of the total 60 seats in Tripura

Apart from CPI(M) and BJP, other major tribal parties in Tripura are: the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) and National Conference of Tripura (NCT).

The CPI-M has been in power in Tripura for the past 25 years, with incumbent Chief Minister Manik Sarkar at the helm for the past 19 years. 

The CPI(M) has approached the Chief Election Commission over this

The statement read: "The CEC said he will ask for a written report on the circumstances in which the special observer met the BJP president of Tripura."

The CPI(M) has dubbed the move as "unusual". The party also objected to his closed-door meeting with the state BJP president.
 

The Election Commission has appointed ITBP Director General R K Pachnanda the special observer for the election in Tripura. 

The campaigning for the Tripura Assembly elections concluded on February 16.The BJP and the Congress are looking to root out the CPI (M), which has been ruling the state for the past 25 years.