Around 37 per cent of voters cast their votes till 11 AM in Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency, where polling is underway amidst tight security cover, officials said.

Election officials said that with the deployment of Central and state forces including Tripura State Rifles (TSR), heavy security arrangements have been made in the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat to foil any incidents of violence.

All arrangements have been made for Friday's polling for the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat in which nine candidates are in the fray.

With assurance of ‘zero poll violence’, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the poll day delivered sufficient equipment and accessories of all polling staff with adequate training to tackle any kind of technical glitch in EVMs.

Giving details Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura, Puneet Agarwal said a total electorate of 13,96,761 will cast their votes in 1,664 polling booths across 30 assembly constituencies and all polling stations will be covered with web-casting and videography.  Among the total polling booths, 158 in urban areas, 1506 in rural areas with 1365 polling locations.

He said that many polling stations will be managed exclusively by women poll personnel with women central forces while there will be model polling stations; besides there will be few more polling stations for casting votes by persons with disability (PWD) including 13 would be model polling stations with all basic facilities for the voters and 12 would be all women managed polling stations.

This time, altogether 16,260 Bru voters will cast their votes from 17 polling stations spreading in Dhalai, North and Gomati districts of Tripura under East Tripura PC, said Agarwal.

He urged the voters of the Lok Sabha seat to cast their vote without any fear and the Commission has made sufficient arrangements in every polling station for voters to get rid of hot and humid weather.

A large contingent of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and state forces, including Tripura State Rifles (TSR) have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident in the elections to the tribal reserve parliamentary constituency.  Though there are nine candidates, including two women, contesting in the Lok Sabha seat, the main electoral battle is expected to be held between ruling BJP and the opposition CPI(M).

Returning Officer Saju Vaheed A. said that over 16,260 Reang tribal voters, who were recently rehabilitated in different districts of Tripura after being displaced from neighbouring Mizoram following ethnic troubles there, would also cast their votes in the Lok Sabha seat.

Of the 1,664 polling stations, 61 are model polling stations with all basic facilities for the voters. Besides this, 67 are all women-managed polling stations and 30 are manned by physically challenged polling officials.

Though there are nine candidates in the fray, the main contest is expected between BJP candidate Kriti Singh Debbarma, elder sister of Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma and CPI(M)'s Rajendra Reang, a former MLA.

Reang is the nominee of the opposition INDIA Bloc, comprising the Congress, Left and other parties.

Over 10,000 polling personnel are conducting the voting in the tribal reserved Parliamentary constituency. Polling would continue till 5 p.m. without any interruption.