CPI(M) boycotts vote counting alleging rigging in Tripura bypolls

Agartala: Counting of votes began at 8 am on Friday for the by-elections to the two assembly seats in Tripura's Sepahijala district, officials said.

The polling for the by-elections to the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats was held on September 5. An average turnout of 86.50 per cent was recorded in the two seats.

The counting was being held at the Sonamura Girls' School amid tight security.

Alleging large-scale rigging during the polling and inaction by the Election Commission, the opposition CPI(M) was boycotting the counting of votes. The two seats are witnessing a one-on-one fight between the ruling BJP and the CPI(M) with the other two opposition parties, Tipra Motha and Congress, not fielding any candidates.

Sepahijala's District Magistrate Vishal Kumar said all steps have been taken to complete the counting smoothly and transparently.

"Tight security arrangements have been made to ensure peace during the counting and after the counting," he told PTI.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque. Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur necessitated the byelection in that seat.

BJP's Tafajjal Hussain is contesting against CPI(M)'s Mizan Hussain in the Boxanagar seat. It has 66 per cent minority voters of a total of 43,087 electors. In the last assembly elections in February, the CPI(M) retained the seat.

The Dhanpur constituency, once considered a stronghold of the Left, witnessed a fight between the BJP's Bindu Debnath and Kaushik Debnath of the CPI(M). Over 8,000 tribal voters of the total 50,346 electors hold the key in the battle. The BJP won the seat for the first time in the Assembly poll held seven months ago.

The BJP has 31 MLAs in the 60-member assembly, and its ally IPFT has one member. On the other side, the opposition Tipra Motha has 13 MLAs, CPI(M) has 10 and the Congress has three MLAs.