Tripura’s Dharmanagar by-poll records 80 per cent turnout, voting peaceful, no untoward incidents reported

The by-election in the Dharmanagar Assembly Constituency in North Tripura district, which began at 7 a.m. this morning, concluded at 5 p.m. with an 80.04 per cent voter turnout. 

There were no reports of EVM malfunctions or untoward incidents. 

The election was necessary following the passing of BJP MLA and Speaker of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Biswabandu Sen.

Returning Officer Debjani Chowdhury today stated that voting had been completed in the majority of polling stations. Till 5 p.m., the voter turnout was 80.04%. 

She added that the voting process was smooth and peaceful throughout the day, and no problems were faced in poll procedures.

A total of six candidates are contesting the by-election, including Jahar Chakraborty from the BJP, Chayan Bhattacharya from Congress, Amitabh Datta from CPI(M), Sanjay Chowdhury from SUCI, independent candidate Brajalal Debnath, and Bibhas Ranjan Das from Amra Bangali.

There are 46,183 eligible voters in the constituency, of which 22,380 are male, 23,763 are female, and 924 are newly registered voters. To ensure a smooth election, 55 polling stations have been set up across the constituency. Eleven of these are model polling stations, and another eleven are entirely managed by women polling staff, which was a special highlight of the election. Separate “pink counters” were also arranged to facilitate women polling personnel.

North District Superintendent of Police Avinash Rais confirmed that the election was peaceful and no untoward incidents were reported. He stated, “The election was held peacefully. Security arrangements were significantly strengthened, with Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Tripura State Rifles, and Tripura Police personnel deployed at each polling station and for Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs).”