AGARTALA:
Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kiran Gitte, on May 26, said that adequate security arrangements will be made for the upcoming bye-polls to the four assembly seats slated for June 23.
“We have gone through the past records of these four assembly constituencies and accordingly categorised the polling stations as normal, critical and vulnerable. Based on these aspects. We will deploy adequate number of security personnel, CCTV coverage will also be done along with 50% webcasting”, Gitte said, addressing the press at the Secretariat.
The CEO informed that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has already been enforced in the four constituencies for the conduct of free and fair elections.
Informing that sufficient numbers of Central Armed Paramilitary Force (CAPF) jawans will be deployed for manning the booths, he also said that this time, the electioneering process will be webcasted.
“The District Magistrates and Superintendent of Police will assess the situation, after which we will send the security requirements to the Election Commission of India (ECI) through the Ministry of Home Affairs,” he further added.
There are a total of 221 polling stations at 139 locations and a meeting with all the political parties will be held on May 27, he informed.
Of the four constituencies going to the polls, 6 Agartala with 51, 639 voters have the highest number of electors, followed by 46 Surma with 47,289 voters, 8 Town Bordowali with 46,583 voters and 57 Jubarajnagar with 43,373 voters.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are hoping that this time, the voters will vote in their favour, and also exuded confidence on the statement of the CEO, that no parties will be allowed to create violence this time.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state committee secretary Jitendra Chowdhury, said that since the number of voters is less this time, election will not be chaotic.
On the other hand, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from 6 Agartala constituencies who joined the Congress, Sudip Roy Barman said that this poll is a battle between good and the evil.
“For me personally, it will be a symbolic contest. This is a battle between good and evil. The election will be between the people and authoritarian rule. Democracy has been destroyed under the current regime, and we will fight for the people,” Barman said.
Stating that the BJP turned the civic body election into a farce by not allowing people to vote, he warned that no such violence will be tolerated this time around.
Likewise, senior leader of All India Trinamool (AITC) Congress Sushmita Dev said that the people are not with the BJP and this is the reason the Chief Minister was changed.