Tripura’s Charilam assembly seat election: 55.94% voter turnout till 1:00 pm

Agartala: Polling is underway in the Charilam (ST) Assembly constituency in Tripura, which was postponed due to the death of the CPI(M) candidate a week before the February 18 election. The voter turnout till 1.00 pm for Charilam assembly seat polling was 55.94%.

Charilam assembly seat polling: Voter turnout till 1.00 pm is 55.94% #TripuraElection2018

— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2018

Newly-appointed Deputy Chief Minister and state BJP vice-president Jishnu Deb Burman are contesting from the seat. He is pitted against Arjun Debbarma of the Congress, Uma Shankar Debbarma of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) and Independent contestant Jyotilal Debbarma. After the death of Ramendra Narayan Debbarma on February 11, the CPI(M) had fielded Palash Debbarma from the seat. However, on Friday, the party withdrew his candidature alleging large-scale post-poll violence in the constituency. Overthrowing the 25-year-long CPI(M)-led Left Front government, the BJP and the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) combine swept to power in the state winning 43 out of the 59 seats for which elections were held. The BJP had won 35 and IPFT eight seats. The CPI(M) got 16 seats. IG (Law and Order) K V Sreejesh told reporters that adequate security personnel was deployed in the constituency. Counting would be held on March 15. The election of 59 seats for the 60-member Assembly was held on February 18.