This Lok Sabha Election, the highest voter turnout in Tripura has been in the limelight. However, if we look back, the phenomenon is not new and it is seen that Tripura has a rich history of active participation in the electoral process.
Tripura’s first Lok Sabha election dates back to 1952 and the first legislative assembly poll to 1967 when the Indian National Congress emerged as the winner and Sachindra Lal Singh became the first Chief Minister.
Political observer mentioned that since the inception of Tripura, CPIM and Congress had been the main opponents in the past. Even Bangladeshi migrants to Tripura were scared of indigenous people, and CPIM was known as the tribal party and thus it garnered votes from both tribal and non-tribal people. Thus, CPIM led Left Front ruled the State for 25 years.
The Bharatiya Janata Party came to the picture after it won the first legislative assembly election in Tripura in March 2018. After the election, the BJP formed the government in Tripura with its alliance partner, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura or IPFT. During this Lok Sabha election, the Saffron Party has politically partnered with Tipra Motha.
Irrespective of any party ruling the State, for decades Tripura boasted a high voter turnout constantly. Political observer stated it can be attributed to people’s political consciousness. Besides, allegations of rigging and booth capturing to swell the number of voter turnout are common.
Despite these drawbacks, Tripura’s people have displayed a sense of commitment to exercising their franchise since the beginning of elections. Since then they are also seen queuing up early in the morning in huge number in front of the polling stations.
Consequently, Tripura’s political vibrancy is not new including voter turnout. In fact, this year’s turnout may be slightly lower than the previous polls, which witnessed a remarkable 82 per cent participation rate.
