Guwahati: More than 80 per cent of the 6.65 lakh eligible voters turned out for the Village Committee elections in Tripura’s tribal areas on Monday, with polling taking place after a gap of 10 years, officials said.

Polling was largely peaceful across most areas, although isolated incidents of violence were reported in Gomati district. Two people, including a Tipra Motha Party (TMP) candidate, were injured after unidentified persons allegedly opened fire. The injured were taken to a hospital for treatment.

In a separate incident at the Gamaria school strong room, Gomati district Superintendent of Police Anirban Das and other police personnel were injured during a clash involving political party activists, officials said. Polling remained largely peaceful in the other seven districts.

A senior Tripura State Election Commission (TSEC) official said voters began arriving at polling stations well before voting started. Long queues were reported across the tribal areas. Polling was scheduled to continue until 4 pm, but voters who were still in queues after the deadline were allowed to cast their ballots. Nearly 8,000 voters were reportedly issued slips at polling centres to facilitate voting after the scheduled closing time.

The elections covered 2,950 seats in 587 Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). Of the 4,597 seats originally notified, 1,644 were decided uncontested, while no nominations were received for three seats. A total of 8,176 candidates contested the remaining seats.

Around 6.65 lakh voters were eligible to cast their ballots at 1,095 polling stations across eight districts. Authorities deployed additional security personnel at vulnerable and remote locations, with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel assisting state forces.

The ruling BJP, along with its tribal allies TMP and IPFT, contested the polls against the opposition CPI(M)-led Left Front and Congress.

According to election officials, 1,557 seats were won uncontested by the TMP, while the BJP secured 81 seats without a contest. Polling was subsequently held for the remaining 2,950 seats across 44 of the 52 blocks after withdrawals and uncontested results were taken into account.

The elections were held after a decade and are significant for grassroots governance in the tribal areas administered by the TTAADC. The previous Village Committee elections were held in 2016.

The TTAADC was established on April 1, 1985, under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. It covers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s geographical area and administers areas predominantly inhabited by indigenous communities.

Counting of votes is scheduled for October 5.