Phase 2 of Lok Sabha polls: Tripura records highest voter turnout among 13 states

Historically, Tripura has held records of high voter turnout including over 90 percent turnout in assembly polls in the past.

The polling in the East Tripura seat was all the more crucial on Friday as Bru migrants from Mizoram cast their mandate as voters of Tripura for the first time in a Parliamentary election in their 26-year stay in Tripura. The migrants were displaced from Mizoram in 1997 after ethnic clashes broke out in the state.

The electorate and candidates of East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency

As many as 13,96,761 electors, including 7,02,511 males, 6,94,237 females and 13 voters from the third gender were scheduled to cast their votes at the 1,664 polling centres in the East Tripura seat. The constituency also saw a new polling station in South Tripura – one of the 11 locations where Bru migrants were settled in the state as per a quadripartite agreement in 2020.

Nine candidates were in the poll fray in the East Tripura Lok Sabha seat, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate and Tripura ‘princess’ Kriti Singh Debbarma against opposition INDIA alliance candidate and former legislator Rajendra Reang.

Word from the Chief Electoral Officer

Speaking to reporters, Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Puneet Agarwal said the poll process ended “peacefully and without any violence”.

“A voter turnout of 80.32 percent was recorded in the East Tripura seat. Less complaints were registered with us through the polling hours today and we instantly acted upon the issues which were raised with us. The voting process in both the seats of Tripura was peaceful,” he said.

The CEO said voting is still on at around 20 polling centres. Agarwal also said preparations have been started to maintain high security near the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) strongroom and said all steps are being taken to ensure a smooth counting process on June 4.

While the CEO denied having received written complaints about poll violence or denying entry to polling agents, he said a few complaints of poll violence were received from Belonia in South Tripura but those were found to be unsubstantiated upon inquiry.

A few hundred voters from two polling centres refrained from voting due to local demands and issues, the CEO confirmed.

The election mood

The polling hours saw a colourful mood with people decked up in traditional attires before turning up at the polling centres to cast their mandate in different parts of the state.

In a rather uncommon spectacle, electors were seen travelling in boats to reach their designated polling centres at Mukhchari village under the Karbook Assembly segment.

Voting started on time with some minor hiccups of EVM malfunctions at a few places. The machines were soon replaced and the poll process continued smoothly.

Even after 5 pm, there were voters in queue in front of some polling centres and the final turnout might increase once the postal ballots are counted, said polling officials.

Where leaders cast their votes and what they said

Kriti Singh Debbarma was seen visiting different polling booths in her constituency. Speaking to reporters, she lauded the ongoing poll process and said, “People are casting their vote peacefully. It is very well organised. People are coming from afar to cast their votes.”

After the voting hours were over this evening, BJP president Rajib Bhattacharya thanked electors for turning up at polling centres and said, “I express gratitude to the voters for casting votes amidst the hot weather. As per latest information, nearly 10,000 voters are standing in queues at different polling stations whom the Election Commission has given tokens. In Sabroom, 85.64 percent votes have been cast. Votes in both West Tripura and East Tripura seats were done peacefully with no report of violence.”

Meanwhile, Reang cast his vote at the Gachirampara area in Kanchanpur assembly segment in the East Tripura Parliamentary seat at 7 am and said Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) had malfunctioned in three locations and VPPAT units had malfunctioned in one as per information available with him.

He appealed to voters to come out to the polling centers freely and cast their votes without fear or favour. He said he didn’t have any reports of poll violations yet but said there were allegations of intimidation in several parts of his constituency in the last few days.

Congress veteran and MLA Birajit Sinha cast his vote at Kailashahar in Unakoti district and said he is confident that Reang would win with a huge margin. “We have campaigned for Rajendra Reang and have just cast our vote in his favour. People are supporting him irrespective of party and ideology. This is his plus point,” Sinha said.

Sinha alleged that Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) had malfunctioned and delayed the voting process for hours at some polling centres.

In an oblique reference to Kriti Singh Debbarma, the former minister claimed that she fought with the symbol of one party but was a candidate of another party and said he feels this had impacted the electors in forming their opinion.

Tripura opposition leader and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhary on Friday cast his vote at the Kalacherra Gardhang area of his home turf Sabroom assembly segment and said better voting practice was seen at the seat, unlike West Tripura Parliamentary seat, where he alleged gross violation of poll guidelines.

Terming the polling as a “challenge to voters”, Chaudhary, who is also the Tripura INDIA Bloc co-convener,  said people could cast their votes to some extent. He said it was a silver lining that people came out of their homes to cast their mandate in the poll process.

Tripura state Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha alleged the ruling BJP had tried to prevent free and fair voting in both the constituencies of Tripura. However, he said electors have shown huge courage at both seats and the ruling BJP’s purported effort to prevent free and fair voting was “thwarted to some extent” through active participation of the people.

Suspension of officers

Meanwhile, several polling personnel, including a Presiding Officer, three polling officers and a Tripura State Rifles (TST) jawan were suspended during the voting hours for negligence and violation of duty.

Mousumi Ghosh, a polling officer at Surma assembly segment under the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency, was suspended today after she was caught commenting about leaders of a political party on camera.

Ghosh is a government clerk at a higher secondary school in Tripura’s Dhalai district. She was suspended as per an order from the secondary education directorate which was directed by the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency Returning Officer to issue the order, an official informed. Her suspension order was withdrawn later this evening.

Prabrajika Roy, a graduate teacher from Ambassa, who was on duty as the first polling officer at Surma assembly segment, was suspended for making statements about leaders of a political party in front of camera.

Post Graduate Teacher Samir Ranjan Deb and TSR jawan Subhankar Debroy were also suspended from duty for violating poll guidelines.

Freak incidents

In a series of freak incidents during the poll hours, fifteen voters, including a few women were injured after a swarm of bees attacked them when they were waiting in queue in front of the Borobil area in Khowai district.

Officials said Fire Service personnel were rushed to the spot and the injured voters were rescued and taken to the Khowai district hospital. They were released after treatment and sent home.

The fire and emergency service personnel later destroyed the beehive.

One of the voters in the queue later said the bees came out all of a sudden and started stinging them. He said they rushed for cover and security personnel rushed in and tried to rescue them. Polling resumed after a brief gap at the polling center.

In another incident at Kumarghat in North Tripura district, two women were injured after a bamboo holding up a tent inside a polling centre fell on them.

Speaking to reporters, Sudipta Dey, son of Chameli Dey – one of the women injured in the incident, said his mother had come to cast her vote and sustained injuries on her head after the bamboo hit her head. Both the injured were rushed to the nearby hospital by locals where they were learnt to be out of danger.

Allegations of violence

Ardhendu Ghosh, a local CPI(M) leader at Golabari area of Krishnapur assembly segment under the poll-bound East Tripura Parliamentary constituency alleged that he was stopped from reaching the polling centre to cast his vote.

He also alleged that his residence came under attack by hoodlums late on Thursday night who demanded extortion money from him.

After the local administration assured him safety, he reached a polling centre.

Poll boycott

In a different incident, local residents boycotted voting and stopped poll process for hours at the Mitingacherra area in Pecharthal assembly segment under the East Tripura Lok Sabha seat in protest against lathicharge ordered by the local police station officer in-charge on people who were sitting together after coming out from the polling centre.

The agitated locals also claimed two mobile phones were damaged in the police action and demanded the accused police personnel to compensate for them and seek apology from the people.

A group of voters blocked the road at Sadananda Para area in Raimavalley assembly segment during voting hours today and said they would boycott the polls unless their demands of proper roads, safe drinking water, uninterrupted power supply, school teachers etc are met. The blockade continued for some time till local officials intervened.

The counting of votes will be held on June 4.