Poll schedule for 3 NE states to be announced by Jan 19

The schedule for the assembly election in three Northeastern states -- Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya -- is likely to be announced by January 19 by the Election Commission in Delhi, officials said on Monday.

A senior official said that the full election commission headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar last week (January 11 to 14) visited the three Northeastern states and held a series of meetings with the political parties and state, central security and civil officials, specially the district level officials of the three states in the respective state capitals.

"The full EC would meet in Delhi and then likely announce the assembly election schedule for three Northeastern states by Thursday," the official told IANS, refusing to be quoted. The five year term of assemblies of Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura would end on March 12, March 15 and March 22, respectively, and before that period, new assemblies have to be constituted. The official said that as per the instructions of the ECI and as part of the confidence building measures, the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and state security force led by district officials have started flag marches in the sensitive, trouble prone and mixed populated areas of the three states.  Ahead of the announcement of the election schedule, the political parties also are stepping-up their activities and finalising the strategies to get the maximum electoral mileage.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's two-day all important National Executive meeting began in New Delhi on Monday to chalk out the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly and the 2024 parliamentary elections. Key leaders including Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, Nagaland Tribal Affairs and Education Minister and state BJP President Temjen Imna Along took part in the National Executive meet. Along tweeted: "Glad to attend the BJP National Office Bearers Meeting today at BJP Headquarters, Delhi, addressed by President J.P. Nadda. Thankful to Nadda for his valuable guidance & direction to keep up with the party's core integrity and prosperity."

In Tripura, the influential tribal-based party TIPRA (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) held a mega rally and it was organised by the women wing of the party at Khumulwng in West Tripura district on Monday.

TIPRA supremo and Tripura's royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman while addressing the rally announced that his party would not go for any alliance with any party until receive in writing supporting their demand -- elevation of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas by granting of 'Greater Tipraland State' under Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution. "This is necessary for survival and existence of the indigenous people (tribals) in Tripura," he said.

TIPRA, which is now ruling the politically-important 30-member TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-third of Tripura's 10,491 square km area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 per cent are tribals, making the autonomous council as a mini-assembly, is the main stakeholder in the tribal votes. 

*With agency inputs