A first for Bru voters in Tripura

For the first time, the newly settled Bru voters of Tripura exercised their franchise for the General Election 2024 on Friday. Earlier, they voted in the assembly poll in March last year. The Bru migrants who had been staying in six relief camps of North Tripura district till 2020 now received permanent settlement in 12 locations in the state.

Since the morning, eligible voters from the Bru community turned up in large numbers at the polling stations.

At the Goenang Para polling station in the Tirthamukh area under the Gomati district, hundreds of Bru voters cast their votes.

Speaking to the media after casting his vote, a Bru voter said, “We have never voted in the MP election of Tripura. We are very happy to participate in the democratic exercise. The total number of voters in this particular polling station stands at 609.”

Meanwhile, people residing in a remote area of Tripura’s Dhalai district chose boats as their mode of travel for exercising their franchise rights.

The Election Commission took to X and posted the photos of people coming by boats to cast their votes.

“Vote By Boat! Anchoring the choice: Voters of 44/68

Raima Valley AS remote area of Dhalai district, Tripura are coming to cast their votes by using boats,” the EC said.

Tripura is leading the voter turnout charts after 78.48 per cent votingin the state. According to Chief Electoral Officer Tripura, the number of eligible Bru voters stands at 17,524. Of them, 16,300 voters are enrolled in the electoral rolls of East Tripura while the rest of the others voted in the Phase 1 on April 19.