Tripura polls: Final voter turnout at 87.6%, CM’s constituency records lowest

According to the data, chief minister Manik Saha’s constituency, Town Bordowali, recorded the lowest turnout of the 60 assembly seats that went to polls. In 2018, voter turnout here was recorded at 89.3%

Of the total 28.13 lakh electorates in Tripura, the state recorded an 87.6% voter turnout, according to the data shared by the election commission on Friday.

67.7% of eligible electors belonging to the third gender category exercised their franchise in Tripura on Thursday (File Photo)

According to the data, chief minister Manik Saha’s constituency, Town Bordowali, recorded the lowest turnout of the 60 assembly seats that went to polls. In 2018, voter turnout here was recorded at 89.3%.

The crucial 2023 assembly elections cycle kicked off Thursday with a high-turnout exercise in the northeastern state, where a three-cornered contest is likely to be the most competitive affair in this round of polls.

The official data registered an 89.1% turnout from female voters, higher than the total male voters at 86.1%. Whereas 67.7% of eligible electors belonging to the third gender category exercised their franchise, taking the total voter turnout up to 87.63%.

According to official data, Manu, a scheduled tribe reserved constituency in the South district recorded a 92.09% turnout, the highest among the total 60 constituencies, while Town Bordowali constituency in Agartala recorded the lowest turnout at 79.9%.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) sitting legislator Prabhat Chowdhury, brother of CPM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury contested from the Manu seat against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Mailaphru Mog and TIPRA Motha leader Dhananjoy Tripura. Dhananjoy served as Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) legislator before switching over to TIPRA Motha.

Dhanpur constituency saw a turnout of 88.5%, where BJP leader Pratima Bhowmik is contesting against CPM’s fresh face Kaushik Chanda.

Agartala constituency, where Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman is contesting against BJP leader Papiya Datta, witnessed an 84.1% voter turnout.

The Banamalipur constituency, where BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee is contesting against Congress’s veteran leader and former legislator Gopal Roy from Banamalipur, saw an 80.5% voter turnout.

Kailasahar constituency in Unakoti district saw 81.5% voter turnout, where Congress president Birajit Sinha is contesting against BJP’s newly joined candidate Mohammad Mobossar Ali.

Several constituencies, including Pratapgarh, Majlishpur, Bamutia, Mohanpur, Suryamaninagar in West district, Kamalasagar, Nalchar in Sepahijala district, Khowai in Khowai district, Sabroom, Belonia, Santirbazar, Hrishyamukh, Jolaibari, Manu in South District witnessed over 90% turnout.

The five constituencies, except for Sabroom in South district and Khowai constituency, retained a turnout of above 90%. Of them, Belonia and Shantirbazar are BJP-dominated constituencies while the rest three are with CPM.

Turnout in other constituencies reserved for scheduled tribes, including Raima Valley, Ambassa, Karbook, Ampinagar, Bagma, Simna, Mandaibazar, Golaghati, Ramchandraghat, Asharambari, Krishnapur, Karamcherra that had recorded above 90% in 2018, declined in 2023 polls to just above 80%. All the seats here are dominated by the BJP and its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The only exception was Charilam constituency, the home turf of deputy chief minister Jishnu Devvarma, which recorded an increase in turnout from 80.55% in 2018 to 89.29% in 2023.

BJP-dominated constituencies, Amarpur, Khayerpur, Badharghat, Kalyanpur-Pramodenagar, Radhakishorepur, Matarbari, Kamalpur, Pabiacherra, Surma also saw a decline in turnout to less than 90% but above 80%.

On the other hand, CPM-dominated areas, including Chandipur and Kailasahar constituencies in Unakoti district, Kadamtala, Bagbassa and Jubarajnagar in North district recorded above 80% voter turnout.

The ruling BJP faced challenges from an alliance of Left and Congress that remained rivals for several years and TIPRA Motha, a regional political party that was floated by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma in 2021. While the BJP-IPFT coalition government is in power in the state, Debbarma’s party is in power in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) for two years.

The BJP is contesting 55 seats and its IPFT has fielded candidates in six seats. The Left and the Congress are contesting 47 and 13 seats respectively, as per a seat-sharing adjustment. The Tipra Motha is contesting 42 seats, and the Trinamool Congress 28.

Tripura is the first of at least nine states that go to the polls this year. Meghalaya and Nagaland will vote on February 27 and the results of all three states will be announced on March 2.