In peaceful voting, East Tripura Lok Sabha seat records 80 % turnout

Agartala, Apr 26, 2024, By Our Correspondent

Agartala, Apr. 26 : The Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency registered an aveage 79.55 percent of polling on Friday, said a poll official.

The voting largely remained free, fair and peaceful with voters coming out in strong number to exercise their democratic rights since morning, said Add CEO Subhasish Bandopadhayay.

For the first two hours, an average 16.97 percent voting was recorded in all the polling booths of the Lok Sabha constituency and gradually polling percent got pace – from 36.79 percent at 11 am, 54.98 percent at 1 pm and 69.48 percent at 3 pm, he said.

“Long queues were seen in almost all the booths till the last report came in. The tribals are coming out in traditional dress and casting their votes in interior areas amidst tight security”, he said.

Bandopadhaya said there has been no violence, threat,intimidation during the polling process so far. “We have not received any reports of any violence. The voting remains peaceful. However, we got some complaints and all these have been addressed appripriately”, he said.

CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said the voting so far remains free, fair and peaceful. “The BJP had tried to intimidate voters and polling agents of INDIA Bloc during the silence period but it could not do major harm. The body language of voters is positive. The ruling party is unlikely to do what it had done during the election to the Tripura West Lok Sabha constituency”, he said.

“The moderate turnout- 69.48 percent till 3 pm shows the people’s faith in democracy. I thank the electors for showing courage to join the festival of democracy”, he said.

The ruling BJP seems happy with the way polling is going in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency. “There was a long tradition of violence during the election time in Tripura but the culture has been drastically changed with the people coming out freely to cast their vote”, BJP’s chief spokesperson Subrata Chakraborty said.

When asked about CPI(M)’s complaint of threat and intimidation during the election, he said, “They know they will be defeated badly in the elections because the people are not with the INDIA Bloc which has no programme for the people”, he said.