Will ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in Tripura: Chief Electoral Officer
Efforts are being made to ensure free, fair, and peaceful by-polls in Tripura, India. Police and security forces have been instructed to identify sensitive areas and tighten security along the border. Control rooms have been set up to address any grievances. The by-polls will be held on September 5 and counting will take place on September 8.
Two days after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced Assembly by-polls in Tripura, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Puneet Agrawal has said that efforts are being adopted to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections.
The by-polls in Tripura for two Assembly constituencies, Dhanpur and Boxanagar in Sepahijala district, would be held on September 5, and the counting will take place on September 8.
“Police and security forces have been asked to identify sensitive areas, and the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have been asked to tighten their vigil to avoid infiltration and unauthorised entry of people,” Agrawal said.
“Security assessment has been on both inside and outside of the polling stations. Efforts have been taken to ensure free, fair and peaceful by-polls. We feel there will be no violations and if there would be, action will be taken,” Agrawal told the reporters at the Civil Secretariat on Thursday.
He added that daily reports of law and order, election expenditure monitoring etc., are being done to ensure a smooth poll process.
“We have set up control rooms to receive grievances to ensure no violation of the ECI guidelines occurs. Special monitoring committees, including media monitoring panels, were set into motion,” the official said.
A total of 93,234 voters, including 43,087 at Boxanagar and 50,147 at Dhanpur seats, would exercise their franchise. Of the total electorates, Boxanagar has 20,921 female voters and Dhanpur has 24,203 female voters.
A total of 51 polling stations would be set up at Boxanagar and another 59 polling stations at Dhanpur.
A total of 160 service voters would cast their votes on the polling day whereas, special voting benefits would be given to 1,217 veteran voters above 80 years of age so that they could cast their votes through postal ballots from their homes.
The by-polls became necessary following the demise of sitting Boxanagar MLA Samsul Haque from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the resignation of Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment Pratima Bhowmik, who won on a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ticket from Dhanpur seat.
As per ECI, the last date for filing a nomination is August 17 and the last date for withdrawing candidature is August 21.
