Tripura Assembly Election 2023: Voting is going on today on Thursday (February 16) for the assembly elections in the north eastern states of Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya. Today is the final match of the multi-cornered contest for 60 seats in Tripura between BJP-IPFT alliance, CPM-Congress alliance and Tipra Motha.
According to the State Election Commission, 259 candidates are in the fray for these 60 seats, here all the parties are claiming to form their government, but in reality the key is only in the hands of the public.
How many personnel have been deployed?
A total of 31,000 polling personnel have been deployed in Tripura for the smooth conduct of the election process. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakaro told the media that polling was underway at 3,337 polling stations amid tight security since 7 am.
BJP had surprisingly ended the 25-year rule of the Left in 2018 and conducted voting in Tripura by making Biplab Deb the CM. In May last year, the party had given ticket to Manik Saha in place of Deb. It launched a strong campaign and gave up hope of riding on its plank of development with a ‘double-engine’ government in the state.
How many votes did CPM get?
Although the Left parties could win only 16 out of 60 seats last time, they were not far behind in vote share either. CPM alone got 42.22 per cent votes, while BJP had to satisfy itself with 43.59 per cent votes. The assembly elections are shaping up to be a battle between these two blocks, with other parties and their alliances being marginalised, though an understanding before or after the polls could advance many calculations to position the situation in a close finish.
How many voters are there?
If we look at the electorate, 28.13 lakh voters, including 13.53 lakh women, are deciding the fate of a total of 259 candidates in the state. There are also 20 women in the total candidates. Talking about the security situation, the international and interstate borders of the state have been sealed to prevent miscreants from entering the state.
On how many seats is Congress-BJP contesting?
If we look at national parties in Tripura elections, BJP is contesting more seats than rival national party Congress. While the BJP is contesting on 55 seats in Tripura, the Congress has fielded its candidates on a total of 13 seats.
BJP’s ally IPFT has fielded candidates on six seats, while there will be a friendly contest on one seat. The Left Front is contesting on a total of 47 seats while its alliance partner Congress is contesting on 13 seats. Tipra Motha has candidates for 42 seats, while Trinamool Congress has fielded candidates for 28 seats, while 58 independent candidates have come to try their luck in the electoral fray.
