For the first time, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the verge of winning of Tripura's two Lok Sabha seats, where the counting of votes is nearing completion, poll officials said on Thursday.
In Tripura West, BJP candidate Pratima Bhoumik was leading over his Congress rival Subal Bhowmik by around 2,20,000 votes.
In the tribal reserved Tripura East seat, BJP's Rebati Tripura was ahead of his Congress rival Maharaj Kumari Pragya Deb Burman by around 1,81,000 votes.
Sitting members of the outgoing Lok Sabha and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) candidates Sankar Prasad Datta and Jitendra Chaudhury, who won the Tripura West and Tripura East seats by a margin of 5,03,486 and 4,84,358 votes respectively in the 2014 elections, managed the third positions this time.
The BJP, which secured 6 per cent of votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is likely to get more than 50 per cent of votes this time, according to vote count trends.
The saffron party wrested power in the state for the first time in the 2018 Assembly polls, which it contested in alliance with the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT). With this win, the BJP also delivered a humiliating defeat to the Left parties after 25 years.
However, in these Lok Sabha elections, minor ally IPFT fielded candidates to both the seats defying BJP's repeated appeals. Both the candidates are likely to forfeit their deposits after a poor show.
Thirteen candidates, including a woman, are in the fray from Tripura West, while 10, including two women, are contesting from Tripura East.
Re-polling was done in 168 of the total 1,679 polling stations in Tripura West on May 12, after reports of rigging in the first phase of voting held on April 11. Polling for the Tripura East seat was held on April 23.
Braving the scorching heat, Tripura East records over 80 pc turnout
Despite the scorching heat, over 80 per cent of the 14 lakh voters cast their votes in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency where polling was held under a heavy security cover on Friday.
NCPCR initiates action against Mehbooba Mufti for 'using school children for election campaign'
In a significant development, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday took cognisance of a report on 'X' accusing PDP President and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat candidate Mehbooba Mufti of using school children for campaigning in the election.
PM Modi takes opposition to cleaners on EVMs, once again
Calling it a "historic day", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the Supreme Court's decision to dismiss a batch of petitions seeking mandatory cross-verification of the votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.
LS Poll: Over 1000 villagers did not cast vote; shows protest against bad road condition, improper drinking water facility
Over 1000 villagers of Maldapara of Gandacherra subdivision in Dhalai Tripura district on Friday boycotted the second phase of polling to East Tripura constituency and refrained from casting their vote as part of their agitation against bad condition of road in their village.
PM Modi roasts Cong, says former PM's video on 'priority for Muslims' demolishes its canards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stepped up his offensive on the Congress and said that his plainspeak on the party’s double standards has ruffled many feathers in the INDIA bloc, so much so, that they have launched a tirade at him for speaking the truth.
CBI recovers huge cache of arms, explosives from house of Shahjahan’s relative at Sandeshkhali
The CBI on Friday afternoon conducted a raid at the residence of a relative of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District and seized a huge cache of firearms and explosives.
Tripura records 54.47% turnout recorded till 1 PM in 2nd phase polling to East
The second phase of polling for the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency is underway amid tight security coverage, while 54.47% voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Friday. Voting commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. Tripura recorded the highest turnout at 36.42 per cent till 11 am.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.