ECI full bench reviews poll preparations, meets political party leaders

The full team of Election Commission of India (ECI) along with three commissioners including Chief Election Commission (CEC) Rajiv Kumar, Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel and all other deputy commissioners arrived in the state Wednesday morning for a two days state visit.

Official sources said that soon after arrival in the state capital,  the ECI team comprising 16 members started assessing the poll preparedness of state Election department and after attending series of meeting with top Civil and police officials, the ECI had also attended separate meeting with all District Magistrates (DMs) and SPs of all eight districts.

In the afternoon at the State Guest House, the Election Commissions met the representatives of the political parties. Thereafter, the Commission held review meetings with the CEO, SPNO, DEOs and SPs.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura and State Police Nodal Officer gave a detailed presentation to the Commission regarding poll preparedness and security arrangements for general assembly elections to Tripura Legislative Assembly-2023.

The Commission reviewed the whole process of poll preparedness for all the districts. The DEOs and the SPs of the concerned districts apprised the Commission about their preparedness.

The Commission also reviewed the preparation with the Nodal Officers of various Central and State Enforcement Agencies to ensure an inducement-free elections in the state .

The Commission will also review the preparations with the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and all the Secretaries of the government of Tripura on Thursday . A SVEEP programme will be organised by the office of the CEO at Ujjayanta Palace premises on Thursday  where EPICs will be distributed to the newly registered voters by the Commission.

While, after meeting with ECI, the representative of ruling BJP, Dr Ashok Sinha said that they requested the ECI ensure peaceful and voting of all people. He said BJP repeatedly urged the Commission that the tradition of the state with high turnout should be maintained.

Speaking with media persons after their meeting with the ECI team, CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chowdhury said that the ECI must ensure free and fair elections to protect democratic spirit in Tripura.

He said during the 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 and opposition parties were not even allowed to collect nomination forms. As a result, the ruling BJP won unusually 96% of total seats uncontested.

Giving details of the violence held across the state during the past 5 years over the opposition, Chowdhury till now 24 of their leaders and workers were killed by the miscreants and not a single perpetrator could be booked till now. Demanding free and fair elections, CPI(M) also demanded before the ECI that poll must be held in a single day, the officers who were removed from election duty for any lapses in earlier election should not be appointed  in any election duty again, security forces: Central para-military forces should be used in entire election process up to the counting and post election period.

Congress leader Sudip Roy Barman said that the Congress has submitted a memorandum before ECI to ensure free and fair elections and to stop the violence free election process.