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Polling for the Tripura East (ST) Lok Sabha seat began today amidst tight security.
Additional 35 companies of security forces have been dispatched by the EC for deployment, along with the state police.
The BSF has deployed additional forces along the 856- km-long Indo-Bangla international border.
There are 12 candidates in the fray including CPI(M)'s Jitendra Chowdhury, who is the state industries minister, Congress' Sachitra Debbarma, a prominent educationist, BJP's Parkshit Debbarma, an ex-armyman, and Trinamool Congress leader Bhriguram Reang.
The CPI(M) has won the seat 11 out of 15 times between 1952 and 2009 and did it consecutively since 1996.
An electorate of 11,38,765, including 580497 men, are eligible exercise their franchise in 1,490 polling stations, of which 18 have been identified as very vulnerable and more than 400 as vulnerable.
The Election Commission has set up nine all-women polling stations.
