Prez poll: 58 of 60 Tripura MLAs cast vote

Out of the total 60 MLAs of Tripura, 58 cast their vote in the Presidential election here on Monday, Speaker Ratan Chakraborty said.

A legislator of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the ruling BJP-led coalition in the state, and a CPI(M) MLA who was ailing did not exercise their franchise here, he said.

Chief Minister Manik Saha, his deputy Jishnu Dev Verma, leader of opposition Manik Sarkar and others cast their vote in the lobby of the Assembly.

All 36 lawmakers of the BJP and seven out of the eight IPFT legislators voted in the polling which ended at 5 pm.

IPFT MLA Brishketu Debbarma, who had tendered his resignation as MLA in February, has not turned up to cast his vote. His resignation letter is yet to be accepted. Of the 15 CPI(M) legislators, 14 cast their votes in the presidential election. "CPI(M) MLA Sudha Das who is out of the state for medical treatment is scheduled to vote in Delhi," the Speaker said.

The polling passed off smoothly and all sealed ballot boxes will be sent to Delhi on Tuesday for counting, he said. Two MPs of the state – Union ministers Pratima Bhoumik and Rampada Jamatia - were supposed to cast their vote in Delhi.