Agartala, April 9 The by-election in the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency in Tripura on Thursday recorded a voter turnout of 52.76 per cent by 1 pm, with the polling process proceeding peacefully, an official said.
Returning Officer (RO) Debjani Choudhury said that polling has been taking place under tight security, and there have been no reports of any untoward incidents.
"The polling percentage was 52.76 per cent at 1 pm," Choudhury said.
"Polling for the by-election in all 55 booths began at 7 am under tight security. Voters were seen standing in queues at various polling centres to exercise their democratic right," said Choudhury.
She said that webcasting has been ensured in all the booths, in addition to EVMs with VVPATs, to maintain complete transparency during the voting process.
"An elaborate security arrangement has been made to ensure free, fair, and violence-free voting. In view of a possible cyclone between April 8 and 10, adequate shelters have been set up at all booths," she added.
"The voting process has been peaceful so far, with no complaints from any candidate or political party yet. Security forces are maintaining strict vigilance to ensure peace," she said.
A total of 46,142 voters will decide the fate of six candidates in the by-election. The by-election was necessitated by the death of the Assembly Speaker and local MLA, Biswa Bandhu Sen of the BJP, last December.