Tripura election: 86.10% voter turnout recorded

Tripura, which saw a three-cornered fight between the ruling BJP, Left-Congress combine and regional party Tipra Motha, recorded a voter turnout of 86.10 per cent on Feb. 16 amid sporadic incidents of violence. Results will be declared on March 2 along with the northeastern states of Nagaland and Meghalaya. In the 2018 Assembly election, the overall turnout was 79 percent. Families from the Bru community, who moved from Mizoram to Tripura two decades ago, voted in the present Assembly elections for the first time. The migrants turned out in large numbers at the Haduklaupara voting station in Tripura's Dhalai district's 47 Ambassa Assembly Constituency. Reports of minor violence in Tripura emerged a few hours into the voting process. At least three people, including a CPI(M) leader and two polling agents of the Left party, were injured in separate incidents of violence. Speaking about the violence, Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Manik Sarkar stated, "Miscreants on behalf of BJP are causing trouble and stopping people from casting their votes." Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao said EVM malfunctioning was reported in 40-45 places but all the machines were replaced. "There has been no report of booth jam or capturing so far," he told reporters.