Agartala: The Tripura Assembly elections on Sunday showed power of women.

Of the 3,714 polling stations, 47 were for women only. The election authorities deployed maximum number of women personnel for the polls.

Speaking to this correspondent, presiding officer of a women-only polling station of Banamalipur constituency, Soma Deb, said 80 per cent voters from the area under her jurisdiction cast votes by 2pm.

"We enjoyed the job. There was no problem when we came here yesterday (Saturday). We got cooperation of all including voters," Soma said.

According to her, such exercise to give decision-making rights to women will help increase women empowerment .

Asked about her experience, Kalpana Debnath, 40, a voter coming out of a polling station, said she "never felt better". The housewife said women should get more rights and freedom in taking decisions of their lives.

Interestingly, all security personnel in the polling station were women, including those from central armed forces. They were seen helping the elderly to get to the polling booths and aiding first-time voters to find their way.

Nagina Khatun, 28, a CRPF jawan who hails from Bengal, stood guard at the polling station at Veterinary Council building. She says she joined poll duties in Manipur, Nagaland, parts of Bengal like Darjeeling, Coochbehar, even Gujarat before coming to Tripura. "I didn't expect such peaceful polls here. People were very cooperative and helpful," Nagina told while keeping her finger on the automatic assault rifle.

People started to queue up in front of the centre from 5 this morning, she said.

Vanita Kumare, another CRPF jawan, who was guarding the poll centre, said she heard about violence and terror in Tripura before she started. "It's stunning to see polls are so peaceful here," she said.

Situation was equally peaceful at a polling station at Birchandra State Central Library in Agartala where another women-only polling station was set up. The area comes under Town Bardowali Assembly constituency, which had huge turnout in the 2013 Aassembly election.

"We have received very good response from voters. Our team faced no problems," a polling officer at the centre said.

Women outvoted their male counterparts in he 2013 ssembly election in the state.

Chief electoral officer Sriram Taranikanti on Saturday said "all-women" polling stations were mobilized to encourage more women to participate in the election process.

Once riot-torn Mandai voted in peace and excitement to form Tripura's 12th Assembly. The area saw widespread ethnic riots among indigenous and non-indigenous communities that killed 1,200 according to government records.