Tripura East LS seat registers 79.50 pc voter turnout till 5 pm

The Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency recorded a voter turnout of 79.50 per cent till 5 pm on Friday, as polling remained peaceful so far, an official said.

The voter turnout may cross 80 per cent as many voters were seen standing in queues at polling stations even after 5 pm, said Returning Officer (RO), Saju Vaheed.

Voters came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise since morning, he said.

"Queues were seen in almost all the booths till the last reports came in. Tribals, too, took part in voting in the interior areas amid tight security... The polling remained largely free, fair and peaceful," the official said.

Security has been beefed up in the areas where polling went on beyond 5 pm due to various reasons, he said.

The Returning officer said the Election Commission received some complaints from a few booths, but those were "promptly addressed".

Nearly 14 lakh voters were eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of nine candidates including that of BJP nominee Kriti Devi Debbarman and CPI(M) leader and INDIA Bloc candidate Rajendra Reang.