The assembly elections have begun in the state of Tripura. Here are the live updates.
19:15 (IST)
76 percent voter turnout was recorded in 41 constituencies
16:24 (IST)
A voter says he came to the polling booth at 7 am, but polling hadn’t started until 10-10:30 am due to some issue with the EVMs
16:20 (IST)
Will complete polling before stipulated time, says Tripura CEO Sriram Taranikanti
“It is going on smoothly. We hope the momentum carries on,” Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Sriram Taranikanti said about the Tripura polls to a national news channel. “There were a couple of issues in EVMs in the morning. Our team has resolved the issue. We will be able to complete polling before the stipulated time,” he added.
16:14 (IST)
Voter says he does not expect much from any party but has come to vote as it matters
16:12 (IST)
65 percent voter turnout till 3.00 pm, reports an national news agency
16:06 (IST)
Additional CEO Tapash Roy said polling percentage till 3 pm stands at about 60 percent
15:58 (IST)
A voter from Mungiakami block says they have queued up to vote since morning so that peace is maintained in their area. He added that water has been arranged for people waiting in the queue.
15:51 (IST)
A first-time voter in Tripura says she doesn’t want to change the government as it may lead to loss of peace in her village?
13:41 (IST)
Voter turnout: 1 pm update
According to the state election department, the voter turnout till 1 pm is 45.86 percent.
13:30 (IST)
BJP leader Ram Madhav urges Tripura voters to join ‘Chalo Paltai’ movement
13:25 (IST)
Safety and unemployment need immediate attention, says BJP supporter
Moushmi Ghosh, 42-year-old BJP Mahila Morcha member from Sadar sub-division in West Tripura district, shares her expectations from next government. Safety and unemployment need immediate attention, she says.
13:24 (IST)
Voter turnout recorded at 27 percent till 12 PM
13:22 (IST)
Hope voters will help defeat BJP, Congress with huge margins: Moboshar Ali, CPM candidate from Kailashahar
Moboshar Ali, CPM candidate from Kailashahar constituency, urged voters to maintain peace. “I appeal the voters to maintain peace and harmony and cast their vote so that the left can come to power once again. We hope the voters would defeat the candidates of Congress and BJP with huge margin and make the Left candidate the winner here,” 53-year-old Ali said after casting his vote.
12:53 (IST)
Ruling government working closely with EC to ensue Left’s victory, claims BJP leader
BJP candidate Nitish Dey told a national news agency, “Since 7 am, voters are waiting to cast their votes for a change and are waiting in queue in front of the polling centres. There are reports of a few anomalies in EVM machines and so few polling centres have started bit late in Kailashwar Constituency. This is the fault of the administration as they did not check the machines properly. I have also seen that some of the state employees are working closely with EC to favour the ruling party. We have taken up this matter with the administration. They are violating the code of conduct. I was canvassing till 4 pm on 16 Feb and I believe that BJP is going to win the seats.”
12:46 (IST)
CPM cannot win by threatening voters; BJP will surely win polls, says BJP Tripura chief
Tripura BJP president Biplab Kumar Deb spoke to Firstpost at Banamalipur Assembly constituency
12:38 (IST)
BJP, CPM leaders claim EVM malfunctioning
BJP leader Sudip Roy Burman and ruling CPM leader Krishna Majumder, both candidates from the Agartala constituency, had earlier in the day claimed that voting in a few polling stations in the state capital was held up for more than 90 minutes because of EVM glitches. Additional CEO Tapas Roy refuted the claims and said all voting machines were working.
12:35 (IST)
Congress candidates acuses poll officials of misbehaviour
“There has been disturbance (in poll booths). So we called up the DM and he sent some officers to the voting center. Now it is going on peacefully. The officers at times misbehave with the senior voters but for them only now it is systematic and peaceful,” Congress candidate Birajit Sinha said.
11:55 (IST)
No reports of violence, says Tripura CEO
Taranikanti said that there were no incidents of violence reported anywhere in the state and the polling was peaceful.
11:53 (IST)
180 engineers helping us resolve EVM malfunctioning, says Tripura CEO
Responding to queries on EVM malfunctioning at several places on the polling day, Sriram Taranikanti, Chief Electoral Officer of Tripura said, “There were technical glitches and we have had difficulty in about 3% of the total voting machines across the State. We have rectified the same and polling is going smooth. A team of about 180 engineers are helping us address such technical problems.”
11:48 (IST)
BJP candidate accuses CPM cadres of threatening voters
Kalyani Roy, BJP candidate from Teliamura constituency in Khowai district, said CPM cadres were disrupting the poll process by provoking voters to vote for their candidate in her constituency. “There is ‘cadre raj’ going on here. They threatened me with life when I questioned them. I am filing an FIR at Teliamura police station right now,” she said.
11:37 (IST)
Voter turnout update
At 11 am, the turnout stands at 23.25 percent. However, officials are still counting the numbers. The final figure can go up to 25 percent.
11:31 (IST)
20 % voting all across Tripura till 10 am
11:19 (IST)
Voting yet to begin in some places
Several stations in constituencies like Rajnagar, Amarpur, RK Pur, Matabari and Bagma haven’t started polling due to “malfunctioning EVMs”.
11:17 (IST)
EVM malfunctioning reports from Tripura
15 EVMs have malfunctioned across the state so far. However, no major incident has been reported till now, reports CNN-News 18.
11:13 (IST)
Heir apparent of Tripura royal family Pradyot Kishore Manikya talks about Congress, elections and BJP’s prospects
In the backdrop of the hectic poll preparations, Pradyot Kishore Manikya, heir of the royal family in Tripura and the working president of the state Congress unit, spoke to Firstpost about elections, his relationship with the Congress leadership, and his vision for the state. The royal scion also cleared the air about his recent meetings with bigwigs from both BJP and the Congress, and explained why he is comfortable with the grand old party and does not see the BJP as a credible force in the state.
11:07 (IST)
CPM candidate alleges ‘rough behaviour’ from security staff
Bijoy Laxmi Singha, CPM candidate from Kamalpur in Dhalai district, said she faced “rough behavior from security staff” at her polling booth, when she went their to thank her supporters. She also said that booth no 54 and 55 in Kamalpur experienced EVM malfunctioning early in the day, but problems were soon resolved.
11:04 (IST)
Polling yet to begin in several booths due to technical snag
Polling is yet to begin in several stations in constituencies like Bamutia, Kurti- Kadamtala and Bagbasa due to technical snags in EVMs. Chief Electoral Officer Taranikani said replacement of faulty machines are taking place.
10:36 (IST)
Your one vote will lay the foundation of a prosperous and developed Tripura, says Amit Shah
10:33 (IST)
Union Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore urges people to vote in large numbers
10:31 (IST)
Like Congress, Trinamool canvassed for votes towards the end
Trinamool Congress, which allied with two tribal-based parties — Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura and National Conference of Tripura — boosted its poll campaign by roping in senior leaders and film stars from West Bengal
10:23 (IST)
Sarkar’s wife confident of CPM’s victory
While Manik Sarkar did not interact with the media after casting his vote, his wife expressed confidence that the CPM will be winning the Tripura Assembly election
10:08 (IST)
Reports of EVM malfunctioning from Tripura
All India Radio reported that EVM malfunction was reported from one of the polling booths of Banamalipur constituency. One EVM was replaced in Badarghat constituency, the report added.
10:06 (IST)
Manik Sarkar greets media after casting his vote in Agartala
09:54 (IST)
Chief Minister Manik Sarkar casts his vote in Agartala
09:53 (IST)
At 9.30am, polling percentage in Raima Valley (ST) Assembly Constituency is 11%
09:51 (IST)
Delay in getting poll percentages from tribal areas; voting brisk, says CEO Tripura
“People are enthusiastic about voting. The poll percentage count is delayed as we are still getting inputs from the remote tribal areas. That said, the polling has been peaceful so far,” Sriram Taranikanti, Chief Electoral Officer, Tripura said.
09:40 (IST)
Update: 9 am voter turnout
A national news channel reports that 11% voters in Tripura have cast their vote till 9 am.
09:38 (IST)
Congress has been an absent Opposition in Tripura
The Congress, which was in power for two complete terms in Tripura since it attained statehood in 1972 and remained the principal Opposition party until the last Assembly elections, is facing the upcoming polls merely to maintain its relevance in the state’s politics. The Congress, its critics say, has been absent from active politics, owing to its many political compulsions. Moreover, the large-scale exodus of leaders and workers from the party over past three years has left it in a deplorable state
09:32 (IST)
BJP’s Tripura in-charge speaks to Firstpost
BJP state in-charge of Tripura Sunil Deodhar says he’s confident there won’t be any instances of booth capturing and reposes faith in the central forces deployed across the state.
09:12 (IST)
Left’s performance in Tripura
As with most long-serving governments, the Left government in Tripura has seen good days and bad. Thus, while it has been credited with reducing militancy and getting the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) withdrawn from the state by investing heavily in a local police force, it has lately come under attack over its stance on the partition of the state.
09:03 (IST)
BJP Tripura president Biplab Kumar Deb cast his vote in Udaipur
09:01 (IST)
Brisk voting in first hour, says Tripura SEC
Tripura’s State Election Commission to take count on the polling percentage every two hours. Across Tripura polling has begun in a brisk pace in the first hour.
08:55 (IST)
Amit Shah confident of BJP forming next government in Tripura
On 12 February, BJP president Amit Shah asserted that the BJP would form the next government in Tripura which would be the 20th state to be ruled by the saffron party. Shah assured the voters that the promises made in the party’s election manifesto released on Sunday would be implemented.
“Seeing the atmosphere and campaigns after visiting various constituencies, I am rest assured that the BJP would form the next government in Tripura and it would be the 20th BJP ruled state,” Shah told a news conference in Agartala.
Total number of voters
In all, 2,536,589 people, including 1,250,128 women and 47,803 first-time voters are eligible to elect 60 MLAs of the Tripura Assembly.
08:50 (IST)
Last-minute campaigning by Congress leaders in Tripura
Hours before the end of campaign, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other central leaders boosted the campaign of the Congress party, which has been hit by large numbers of top state party leaders, seven MLAs and huge number of workers joining the BJP since last year.
08:46 (IST)
Number of candidates in fray
In all 292 candidates, including 23 women and many independents, would be testing their electoral fortunes in Sunday’s election.
08:41 (IST)
ITBP conducted a confidence-building march in North Tripura
08:34 (IST)
A faulty EVM was reported in one of the constituencies in Gomati district in Tripura
08:27 (IST)
BJP’s Tripura in-charge Sunil Deodhar urges high turnout today
08:26 (IST)
CPM meets CEC on special observer’s meeting with Tripura BJP chief
The CPM on Saturday dubbed “unusual” the appointment of a special observer for the Assembly election in Tripura and objected to his closed-door meeting with the state BJP president. A CPM delegation met Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat and expressed concerns over the appointment of the special observer
08:24 (IST)
Tripura elections marred by blame games, violence
With the Assembly elections in Tripura scheduled for 18 February), incidents of poll-related violence are being reported almost every day from across the Left Front-ruled state. Allegations and counter allegations fly thick and fast, with both national and regional parties laying the blame for their cadres’ deaths on the CPM-led Left Front government, while the latter ducks the charges.
08:18 (IST)
Tripura, bastion of CPM, is low on development but high on social and health indices
The green hill state’s development parameters are mixed. It has a literacy rate of 87.8 percent and is the fifth-most literate state in the country as per the 2011 Census. The state’s sex ratio, at 960 females per 1,000 males, is above the national average of 942. On multiple social and health indicators, Tripura competes with Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, and Gujarat – which rank first, eighth, 10th and 12th on per capita income (2014-15).
READ ALSO: Tripura Elections 2018 : BJP supporters ‘attacked’ in Tripura
08:05 (IST)
Raima Valley votes
Voting begins in Raima Valley, a tribal belt in Tripura. The area has about 893 voters and all are of Chakma community.
07:58 (IST)
People wait in queue to vote in Maharani Tulsibati Higher Secondary school in Agartala
07:55 (IST)
People begin voting at Maharani Teshhil in Dhalai, Tripura
07:54 (IST)
Voters in Tripura’s Udaipur say they want a government which provides development
07:51 (IST)
Tight security in place in Tripura ahead of polls
Tripura chief electoral officer Sriram Taranikanti said that Director General of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) RK Pachnanda has been appointed as a special observer to coordinate the security forces deployed in the state. State Director General of Police Akhil Kumar Shukla said tight security measures are in place across Tripura for free and fair elections. Three hundred companies of central armed forces have been deployed across the state along with state armed personnel and the police, he said, adding the BSF is keeping keep close vigil along the 856-kilometer long India-Bangladesh border in the state
07:44 (IST)
First direct confrontation between Left and BJP
The CPM is confident of retaining power in its bastion of Tripura in Sunday’s Assembly elections and achieving a turnaround in the Left movement across the country, though the BJP is battling tooth and nail to oust the Left Front government. In India’s 65-year-long electoral history, the country’s dominant Left party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), has never been in direct confrontation with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
07:39 (IST)
Polling begins on a brisk note at Ramnagar in Agartala
07:34 (IST)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urges people to come out and vote.
READ ALSO: Odisha elections: campaigns kick off in the state
07:31 (IST)
Election postponed in one constituency due to death of CPM candidate
A sitting CPM MLA and candidate in Charilam in western Tripura died on Sunday evening due to cardiac arrest, an official said. “The sitting MLA and Communist Party of India-Marxist candidate for Charilam (Scheduled Tribe) seat, Ramendra Narayan Debbarma, died at the Gobinda Ballav Panth Medical College and Hospital, where he was admitted in the afternoon with chest pain,” an Election Department official said. The official said the election in Charilam would be countermanded as per electoral laws.
07:28 (IST)
Congress’ solo act
The Rahul Gandhi-led Congress party is fighting alone in this elections. The party is contesting 59 out of the 60 seats.
07:26 (IST)
CPM fighting on 57 seats
The CPM is contesting in 57 seats and while the other Left Front constituents, the RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI, in one seat each in Tripura Assembly election in 2018.
07:16 (IST)
Preparations for the polls in Tripura
About 3214 polling stations have been set up for 25,69,216 voters across 60 constituencies. The Election Commission has also directed to set up one ‘All- women managed polling stations’ for each Assembly Constituency where the entire polling staff, including the police and security personnel, shall be women.
07:14 (IST)
Voting begins in Tripura
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