An average voter turnout of 18.71 per cent was recorded in the first two hours of polling on Tuesday in the by-elections to Dhanpur and Boxanagar assembly seats in Tripura's Sepahijala district, an EC official said.

Polling began at 7 a.m. in 59 booths in Dhanpur assembly constituency and 51 in Boxanagar, and is scheduled to continue till 4 p.m.

"Polling began in two assembly constituencies peacefully. I appeal to the voters to come out and exercise their democratic rights. I also urge the people to maintain peace during the polling and repeat the precedent of peaceful voting like of last assembly elections," Chief Minister Manik Saha said in a Facebook post.

BJP's Tafajjal Hussain, who unsuccessfully contested the last assembly election from Boxanagar, is contesting against CPI(M) nominee Mizan Hussain.

The Boxanagar assembly segment has 66 per cent minority voters of a total of 43,087 electors.

In the last assembly elections in February, the CPI(M) managed to retain the seat.

The Dhanpur assembly constituency, once considered a stronghold of the Left, will witness a fight between BJP's Bindu Debnath and Kaushik Debnath of CPI(M). There are 50,346 eligible voters.

The BJP won the seat for the first time in the assembly poll held seven months ago.

The Congress and the Tripra Motha did not field their candidates in the two seats for the bypolls.

The by-election to the Boxanagar constituency was necessitated by the death of CPI(M) MLA Samsul Haque.

Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik's resignation as the MLA of Dhanpur necessitated the by-election to that seat.

The counting of votes will take place on September 8.

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