Agartala (Tripura) [India], April 19 : Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha cast his vote in Agartala in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
After casting his vote, the Tripura CM said, "I feel great after voting. Everyone should vote, and a government that thinks about development should come to power. People are coming to vote, and elections should be conducted peacefully."
The constituency of Tripura West is going to the Polls in phase 1 today. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has a significant presence in Tripura and emerged victorious in the two Lok Sabha seats in the state during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The party is now aiming to sustain its winning streak in the Tripura West constituency.
If small and marginal players like SUCI, Amra Bangali and independent candidates are set aside, the constituency is set to witness a high-profile contest between BJP candidate Biplab Kumar Deb who also happens to be the former Chief Minister of Tripura and opposition INDIA Bloc candidate Asish Kumar Saha.
According to the data released by the Election Commission of India, Voting turnout at 9:30 am was 15.21 per cent. West Bengal saw a 15.09 per cent voter turnout, while Madhya Pradesh recorded a 15 per cent till 9 am.
Earlier, The Tripura CM exuded confidence that the BJP would win both the seats in the state "370 is BJP's target and NDA's target is '400 par'. You can see the faith people of Tripura have in PM Modi. We will have a majority in both seats (Tripura East and Tripura West)..."
Voting for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 began on Friday across 102 parliamentary constituencies spread over 21 states and Union Territories as the mega seven-phase electoral exercise commenced at 7:00 am.
The second phase will be held on April 26 and the remaining phases will be May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25 and June 1 accordingly. The last general elections in 2019 were also held in seven phases.