Election Commission stresses inducement-free Assembly election in Tripura

 AGARTALA: The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday stressed on the need for an inducement-free Assembly election in Tripura, and asked the Central and State agencies to take appropriate steps in this regard, officials said.

The full Election Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and accompanied by two Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel, and several senior officials, arrived here on Wednesday afternoon to review the preparations of the forthcoming Assembly polls in Tripura.

An official of the Tripura Election Department said that the Commission reviewed the preparation with the Nodal Officers of various Central and State Enforcement Agencies to ensure an inducement-free election in the State.

Immediately after its arrival, the poll panel met the leaders of the political parties at the State Guest House and then met the State and district level officials, including District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of eight districts.

The ruling BJP and Opposition CPI-M, Congress, Trinamool Congress and other parties have urged the EC to hold the Assembly polls in a free, fair and peaceful manner.

Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao and State Police Nodal Officer GS Rao gave a detailed presentation to the Commission regarding poll preparedness and security arrangements for Assembly elections, expected to be held later next month.

The Commission would also review the preparations with Tripura's Chief Secretary JK Sinha, Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan and all the Secretaries of Tripura Government on Thursday. A SVEEP (Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation) programme would be organized by the CEO at Ujjayanta Palace premises in Agartala on Thursday, where electors' photo identity cards would be distributed to the newly-registered voters by the Commission.

Before leaving the State on Thursday for poll-bound Meghalaya, the CEC and the ECs would brief the media on Thursday.

From Meghalaya, the full EC would go to another poll-bound State, Nagaland, on January 13 and would return to Delhi on January 15.

After returning to Delhi, the Election Commission is likely to announce the schedule of the election in three Northeastern States, considering the Class-10 and Class-12 examinations of the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Meanwhile, weeks before the announcement of the Assembly election schedule by the Election Commission, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) have started arriving in the three poll-bound States of Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya, officials said.

Meghalaya Chief Electoral Officer Frederick R Kharkongor said in Shillong that the State has sought deployment of 119 companies of CAPF for the polls, and 30 companies have already arrived in the State. Here are 782 vulnerable polling stations and 402 have been identified as critical• he said.

In Nagaland also, a large number of CAPF has already arrived and they were deployed in different districts.

In Agartala, Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said that 50 companies of CAPF already arrived in Tripura and more 50 companies about to reach the State.

Tripura Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan also told IANS that 50 companies of CAPF have already arrived in the State and 50 more companies will arrive in two days. (IANS)

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