The by-election for the Dharmanagar Assembly constituency in North Tripura district commenced at 7 a.m. on Thursday and witnessed a voter turnout of 15.63% within the first two hours, up to 9 a.m. Officials have reported no incidents of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) malfunction so far.

The by-election was necessitated following the demise of BJP MLA and Tripura Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswabandu Sen.

Chief Electoral Officer Brijesh Pandey stated that the polling process has been progressing smoothly. “The election is being conducted peacefully, and no complaints regarding EVM malfunction have been received,” he said.

Returning Officer Debjani Chowdhury also confirmed that voting began on schedule and is continuing without disruptions.

A total of six candidates are contesting the by-election. They include Jahar Chakraborty (BJP), Chayan Bhattacharya (Congress), Amitabh Datta (CPI(M)), Sanjay Chowdhury (SUCI), Independent candidate Brajalal Debnath, and Bibhas Ranjan Das (Amra Bangali).

The constituency has 46,183 eligible voters, comprising 22,380 male voters, 23,763 female voters, and 924 newly registered voters.

To ensure smooth polling, 55 polling stations have been set up across the constituency. Among them, 11 are designated as model polling stations, while another 11 are fully managed by women polling personnel. Additionally, special “pink counters” have been introduced to support women staff.

Security arrangements have been intensified for the election. According to Superintendent of Police Avinash Rai, personnel from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Tripura State Rifles (TSR), and Tripura Police have been deployed at all polling stations. Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs), along with SDRF units, are also on standby to handle any emergencies.