NEWS
ANALYSIS
SPECIALS
INTERVIEW
CAMPAIGN TRAIL
CONSTITUENCY
ISSUES
GALLERY
MANIFESTOS
INDIA SPEAKS!
COUNTDOWN
CHAT
PREVIOUS RESULTS
SCHEDULE
DISCUSSION GROUP

About 65 per cent turnout in violence-marred Tripura polls

About 65 per cent of the total 17,95,414 electorate today exercised their franchise in the two Lok Sabha constituencies and one assembly seat in Tripura where polling was marked by extremist violence that claimed eight lives.

State election office, quoting the returning and assistant returning officers, said the overall poll percentage would be around 65 per cent. However, actual figures of constituency-wise voter turn out would be available only after all the polling parties returned to the headquarters.

Today's polling was marked by militant violence which claimed eight lives, including that of four CRPF jawans. Several others were injured.

There were also some stray incidents, including explosions near two polling stations and militants beating up voters who cast their votes defying their poll boycott call.

Inspector General of Police (law and order) K.Salim Ali told UNI here that heavily armed militants attacked a polling station at Durgachowdhury Para under Teliamura police station in west Tripura killing two voters on the spot.

A Tripura State Rifles jawan and two other civilians were also injured in the attack which occurred in the afternoon.

Today in the first incident, some All Tripura Tiger Force militants ambushed a CRPF patrol party at Girish Karbari Para under Gandachara police station in Dhalai district at about 0715 hours, killing four CRPF jawans, a civilian driver and his assistant on the spot.

The CRPF jawans retaliated the attack killing a militant in the hour-long shoot-out between the two sides.

Both the militant outfits in the state- ATTF and the National Liberation Front of Tripura - had earlier given a boycott call in this north eastern state.

Meanwhile, a polling station was badly damaged when a powerful bomb exploded inside it at about 0430 hours at Gobinda Para under Santir Bazar police station in south Tripura district.

Another powerful bomb exploded near a polling station at Gobinda Bari in Dhalai district. No one was, however, injured in the two explosions and no polling material were damaged.

Polling, however, started at about 0900 hours instead of 0700 hours after the first explosion.

In another incident, ATTF militants tried to prevent some voters from casting ballots at Mandai areas in west Tripura district. The ultras also beat up some voters, injuring five. Later, security forces launched a search operations to nab the militants.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report