Polling for 59 seats of Tripura’s 60 member Assembly began at 7 am on Sunday.
Polling in Charilam constituency has been postponed to March 12 after the death of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidate Ramendra Narayan Debbarma.
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Voting in all constituencies ends at 4 pm.
The Election Commission has set up 3,214 polling stations in Tripura.
Among these, 47 are being managed by all women.
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A total of 292 candidates, including 23 women candidates are in the fray for this election viewed as most crucial in the political history of the north-eastern State.
The Election Commission of India has set up webcasting for the first time in the State to monitor the polling process to ensure free and fair elections.
Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sriram Tarinikanti while briefing media on Saturday evening said all arrangements have been made to ensure free, fair and fearless elections.
“The security has been beefed up across the State so that electorates can exercise their franchise without any kind of intimidation,” he had stressed.
Director general of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, R K Panchananda, who has been appointed as the Special Security Observer for the polls is personally supervising the security arrangements with close coordination from the central forces and state police force.
“Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed as part of precautionary measures across the State and the law will act very tough against violators and trouble mongers during the voting period,” Panchananda told the media who was also present at the briefing.
Altogether 25, 36,586 voters will decide the fate of 292 candidates contesting in 59 Assembly constituencies.
The CPI-M is contesting in 57 seats and while the other Left Front constituents, the RSP, Forward Bloc and CPI, are contesting in one seat each.
The BJP, which has forged an alliance with Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), has fielded 51 candidates, while IPFT will contest in the remaining nine seats.
The Congress is contesting in 59 seats.
Counting of votes is scheduled for March 3 next along with Meghalaya and Nagaland where polling will be held on February 27.