13.17 per cent polling recorded in Tripura till 9 am

An estimated 13.17 per cent of over 12 lakh voters exercised their franchise in the first two hours of voting on Thursday in East Tripura Lok Sabha seat, where polls were postponed in view of the law and order situation, an election official said.

The polling has been peaceful so far, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Suman Rakshit said.

The EC had deferred elections in the seat from April 18 to April 23, stating that the atmosphere in the state was not conducive for holding elections.

Returning Officer Vikash Singh told reporters at Ambassa, about 90 km from here, that adequate security forces were deployed in the constituency and voting began on a peaceful note.

Voters, including women clad in traditional attire, were seen standing in long queues.

A total of 12,61,861 electorate - 6,41,515 male, 6,20,342 female and four of the third gender - will decide the fate of 10 candidates in the East Tripura seat, spread across six districts, the official said.

Prominent among those in the fray are BJP candidate Rebati Mohan Tripura, sitting MP Jitendra Chowdhury of the CPI(M) and Pragya Dev Burman of the Congress.

BJP candidate Rebati Mohan Tripura said, "People are casting votes in a festive mood and we are hopeful of a victory."

Sitting CPI(M) MP Jitendra Chowdhury, who is seeking a re-election from the seat, said that people would elect him.

Calling upon voters to exercise franchise without fear, Director General of Police A K Shukla said on Monday central forces have been deployed in 85 per cent of over 1600 booths.

The Election Commission (EC) has sent 42 additional companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) for the second phase, taking the total number of companies debuted in the constituency to 108.

Both international and interstate borders have been sealed and the BSF activated in vulnerable areas.