Agartala: The Left Front led by the CPI(M) came to power for a record fifth straight term defeating the Opposition Congress by a huge margin. The CPI(M) won 48 seats in the 60-seat Assembly. Chief Minister Manik Sarkar won the Dhanpur Assembly seat defeating his nearest Congress rival Shah Alam by 6,017 votes.

The CPI(M) led by Manik Sarkar, which has taken credit for ending the four-decade-old insurgency in the state and ensuring peace and communal harmony, projected Tripura as a model state in terms of good governance having topped the list in the implementation of MNREGA during the poll campaign. The CPI(M) also highlighted the 15 awards it received from the Centre for successful implementation of various schemes.

The February 14, 2013 voting decided the fate of 249 candidates, including 15 women and many Independents, in 60 constituencies of the state assembly. Over 2,500 officials, including counting supervisors and counting assistants, have been deployed for counting ballots in 60 halls at 17 venues, an official said.

The northeastern state of Tripura made electoral history when a record 93.57 per cent of the 2.3 million voters exercised their franchise.

The Left Front has been in power since 1978, barring one term during 1988 to 1993. In 2008, the Left Front registered a thumping victory. The CPM alone won 46 seats and partners Communist Party of India and Revolutionary Socialist Party secured respectively one and two seats. The Congress bagged 10 seats and the INPT one.

source:http://ibnlive.in.com