Agartala, January 11, 2023: A 15-member delegation of the Election Commission of India (ECI), led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar along with Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel arrived in Agartala on Wednesday on a two day visit to review the poll preparedness for the forthcoming Assembly Elections 2023 in Tripura.

The Election Commission met the representatives of the political parties- BJP, IPFT, CPIM, Congress and Trinamool Congress at the State Guest House here in Agartala city on Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking to media persons after the meeting with ECI team of officials, Pradesh BJP Manifesto Committee convenor and vice-president Dr Ashok Sinha said “BJP completely believes in democracy and we have come here to meet the delegates of Election Commission of India at state guest house for ensuring peaceful, free and fair, and electorates can exercise their franchise without any kind disturbances.”

“You people are all aware that more than 90 percent of votes were exercised in each and every election held in the state. So we have requested the ECI to ensure that each and every electorate can exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful and free and fair manner”, he added.

Pradesh BJP Election ‘Prabhari’ Dr Mahesh Sharma significantly highlighted Tripura to become a role model in the entire country in terms of casting votes by the electorates in the ensuing assembly election.

“We have also placed certain demands before ECI delegates led by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar for initiating stringent measures against criminals engaged in anti-social activity during the election process. The Commission officials ensured us that they will focus on each and every points we raised before them”, he said.

BJP state committee member Balai Goswami, who is the chairman of Tripura Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation was also present.

Submitting a six pages memorandum before ECI, CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said “During last five years the elections namely Lok Sabha election, Assembly bye-election and the local body election of Gram Panchayat, Urban Bodies election and the TTAADC election – all were reduced to complete mockery. The present day high concern of the general public is whether they would be able to cast vote by themselves in the ensuing Assembly Election. The government was forced to stop several electronic media which do not follow in line with them. The Commission should intervene to resume the function of these closed media before the election.”

Citing the appeals before the Commission, Chaudhury said “Poll must be held in a single day. The officers who were removed from election duty for any lapses in earlier elections should not be appointed in any election duty again. Central para-military forces should be used in the entire election process upto the counting and post-election period. Deployment of CPMF may be made well in advance before the poll date. They should conduct patrolling for area domination. The strength of deployment should be decided on the basis of vulnerability of the area. One ‘Police Observer’ for each district may be appointed from among the senior police officers who will be assigned deployment of the CPMF in the concerned district.”

Chaudhury was accompanied by CPIM state committee Ratan Das.

Speaking to reporters here, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman said “We have explained elaborately about the past elections that took place in this five-year tenure of the BJP-led government. And placed our demands about what steps are needed to be taken. We have demanded for free and fair election, rightful deployment of police, securing of polling booths and EVMs, Mobile police should be active in helping electorates to exercise their democratic rights and help them to face any obstacles. They have appreciated all the points and taken them seriously, we have raised them in the meeting. We also demanded an election where electorates can exercise their franchise without any kind of violence.”

The IPFT representatives told the ECI officials to deploy a sufficient number of paramilitary forces in all assembly constituencies for free and fair elections. After the ADC election in 2021, people have witnessed many pre and post poll violence, hence there is need for sufficient deployment of CAPFs.

TMC state president Pijush Kanti Biswas said “I have no hesitation in saying that till today, there is no atmosphere for conducting free and fair elections in Tripura, except some assurances made by the Chief Electoral Officer. In the past, we have witnessed that the assurances were made on documents and in reality, those weren’t executed. We have mentioned about the farce elections of urban local bodies, panchayats, by-election, etc. were held in the state. Even in the presence of police, electorates of different ages were attacked who have come for exercising their democratic rights. Voting is a farce here.”

“After the formation of the BJP-led government, nowhere fair elections have taken place and the will of the people were not reflected. BJP-backed goons in the name of ‘Bike Bahini’ are attacking opposition parties, whenever leaders and supporters are staging any political event”, he added.

TMC placed demands “The state police should not have any role in controlling CAPFs. They had a patient-hearing and assured that they would comply with the demands placed for conducting fair elections and there is no hidden political agenda.”