Agartala: The polling parties left for the booths amid high security to conduct elections in 3328 polling stations across 60 assembly constituencies, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kiran Gitte said on Wednesday.
There will be high security inside and outside all the booths while TSR and police patrol have been intensified in all the localities to ensure the safe arrival of voters.
The ruling BJP is contesting 55 seats while its ally IPFT is contesting the remaining five seats.
TIPRA Motha is going solo to contest 42 of the 60 constituencies including 20 tribal-dominated seats, which hold the key to power in the formation of the next government.
Meanwhile, CPI-M is contesting 43 seats, and its Left Front partners Forward Block, RSP, and CPI one each.
The Congress will contest 13 seats, the Trinamool Congress 28, while there are also 58 Independent candidates.
Tripura faces a three-cornered election this time, with the Left-Congress combine re-emerging in the state and newcomer TIPRA Motha gaining widespread support in tribal areas.
Around 20,000 officials of civil administration and various departments have been engaged to hold the election a model one where ECI has announced a Mission of Zero Poll Violence.
Besides 261 companies of Central Arms Force (CAPF), 139 companies of State Arms Police (SAP) from 16 states including five northeastern states, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujrat, and Maharashtra were deployed holding the election free and fair.
A large number of Tripura police and Tripura State Rifles jawans were also deployed in election duties besides, maintaining general law and order.
The commission set up as many as 60 polling stations across the state to be run by the women polling officers and women security personnel too.
Apart from that, at least 10 polling booths have been managed by persons with disabilities as polling staff, Gitte said.
About 28.23 lakh electorates would exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 259 candidates on Thursday from 7 AM and polling will be continuing till 4 PM.
The commission installed separate land phone, mobile, and WhatsApp numbers for each of the 60 assembly constituencies to facilitate the voters in case of any inconvenience following the apprehension of opposition parties of violence and prevention of voters.
“Voters should come out from the house fearlessly in a jubilant mood and if any kind of problem including intimidation or threat, they receive while going to the polling station, they inform their location and kind of problem in brief either over the phone or by WhatsApp message we shall reach the spot at the quickest possible time and deal with the situation as per law,” Gitte asserted.
