Highest security measures adopted to ensure free and fair polls, voting rights for all voters, CEO

The Election Commission of India (ECI)  adopted and  implemented highest security measures across the  for  February 16 assembly polls with deployment large number of security forces to ensure the voting rights of all voters  and has also  sealed the entire stretch of Indo-Bangla border along with borders of Tripura with neighbouring states Assam and Mizoram.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Tripura Kiran Gitte said that all the six roads connecting Tripura with neighbouring Assam and Mizoram have been sealed and will continue till the peaceful completion of February 16 assembly polls.

As per the directives of ECI, the entire stretch of Indo-Bangla border has also been sealed, said Gitte and added that altogether 400 companies (30,000 security personnel) of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) comprising CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBT, SSB and RPF, who are exclusively deployed in all 3,337 polling stations across 60 assembly constituencies  and other kind of central forces including Indian Reserved (IR) battalion of different state has been deployed for law and order related duties, said Gitte.

He said around 20,000 state police and TSR jawans have also deployed for law and order related duties.

Ensuring free and fair elections, Gitte said that ECI has committed to protect the voting rights of all 28.14 lakh voters and to provide security , the Commission has adopted highest security measures by deploying surveillance teams, voter help lines for all 60 seats, said Gitte and added that mobile surveillance teams and security will continuously move every nook and corner of the state and if any voter face any kind trouble to cast their votes, immediately security personnel will reach the spot and will ensure their voting right.

The Commission will not tolerate any kind of poll violence and will tackle if such kind incident will happen on poll day strictly, said Gitte.

He said that CAPFs have been deploying in the state for the past one and half months and this time poll violence related incidents have decreased one third in comparison to the poll related incidents of 2018 elections.

The Commission has made ready an air-ambulance in Agartala airport, which will move any time of any kind of emergency and will air-lift injured persons in hospital, said Gitte and added that many security teams have also been deployed in ready position to tackle any kind violence if reported .

He said that in all normal polling stations half-section of CAPF were deployed and in the sensitive polling station, one-section of CAPFs were deployed and all polling staffs with security forces had already reached their respective polling stations by evening of Wednesday.

He also ensured that there will be no-poll violence on Thursday and all efforts will be taken to make Tripura-a highest voting percentage of the country.

Gitte also appealed to the voters of the state to participate in the voting process large without any fear and should always take assistance from the Commission if they face any kind of intimidation or threats from miscreants.