Polling begins peacefully in Tripura

AGARTALA: Polling for the two Lok Sabha seats in Tripura began peacefully at 7 am on Thursday.

Voters, both men and women, were seen waiting in long queues outside the polling booths even before polling started.

A total of 20,82,205 voters are eligible to decide the fate of 19 candidates, including one woman, contesting in Tripura East and Tripura West Lok Sabha seats.

Among prominent candidates are six-time MP Bajuban Reang of CPI-M contesting from Tripura East seat while his party colleague Khagen Das contesting from Tripura West LS seat.

Elaborate security arrangements were made to ensure free and fair election. Chief Electoral Officer, Sanjeeb Ranjan said Defence ministry has sent two helicopters for air surveillance on the poll day and 80 companies of Central Paramilitary Forces (CPF) have been deployed.

Patrolling by BSF was intensified along Tripura's 856-km border with Bangladesh, while CPF and police fanned out to insurgency-prone areas.