High-voltage campaign for Tripura assembly polls ends

Tipra Motha, a regional political party contesting 42 assembly constituencies, stressed on its Greater Tipraland statehood demand.

Agartala, Feb 14: The high-voltage campaign for the Tripura assembly elections ended on Tuesday, a top poll official said. Polling to the 60-member assembly will be held on February 16 and votes will be counted on March 3.

“The campaign for the assembly elections ended at 4 pm on Tuesday without any major law and order issue. The poll machinery is geared up to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections on February 16,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao told PTI.

Polling will take place in 3,328 polling booths, out of which 1,100 are sensitive and 28 are categorised as critical, he said.

During the month-long campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and a dozen central ministers canvassed in favour of candidates of the saffron party.

The BJP organised 'Vijay Sankalp Yatra, rallies and roadshows to woo the electors. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, and senior leaders Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat and Mohammad Salim, along with former CM Manik Sarkar and party state secretary Jitendra Choudhury campaigned in favour of the party.

Congress leaders Adhir Chowdhury, Dipa Dasmunshi and AICC general secretary Ajay Kumar campaigned for the grand old party, but neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the state for campaigning. Former royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma single-handedly canvassed for his Tipra Motha party.

While the BJP’s star campaigners highlighted the development that has taken place in the northeastern state in the last five years, the Left Front and the Congress stressed on “misrule and misgovernance” of the BJP-IPFT government.

Tipra Motha, a regional political party contesting 42 assembly constituencies, stressed on its Greater Tipraland statehood demand. Adequate security measures have been taken across the state and along the international border with Bangladesh, a senior police officer said.

A total of 259 candidates are in the electoral race, of whom 20 are women. The BJP is contesting 55 assembly seats, its ally IPFT has fielded candidates in six constituencies, while there will be friendly fight in one seat. The CPI(M) is contesting 47 seats and the Congress is fighting in 13 constituencies.

The Trinamool Congress has fielded nominees in 28 constituencies and there are 58 independent aspirants too. The ruling BJP has fielded the highest number of women candidates with 12. As many as 28.13 lakh voters are eligible to exercise their franchise on February 16.