Tripura State Rifles to Deploy 20 Companies for Election Duty in Odisha, Bihar

AGARTALA: At least, 20 units of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), known as a highly skilled anti-insurgency force in Tripura, will be sent to Bihar and Odisha, among other states, to help with duties related to the Lok Sabha elections.

The Tripura Home Department, speaking anonymously, said that about 1500 personnel from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) will be sent to different areas of the state to perform election duties.

The source said that higher authorities have directed to deploy TSR personnel for election duty in Bihar and Odisha. Ten units have already departed for Odisha, and the remaining five are expected to leave for Bihar shortly.

The TSR is known for its exceptional service not only in Tripura but also outside the state. Apart from their important role in maintaining security during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, the TSR's India Reserve (IR) battalions have been crucial in election security operations in many states.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, these battalions can be moved to any part of the country as needed for election-related tasks.

Meanwhile, in a move aimed towards upholding the integrity of the electoral process, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued an advisory on May 2 directing all the political parties to refrain from registering voters for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes in the name of conducting surveys.

The ECI issued this directive after taking into cognizance the activities by political parties and candidates seeking details of voters under the guise of various surveys for their proposed beneficiary schemes, as a corrupt practice of bribery under Section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

In its latest notification, the polling body categorically stated that “some political parties and candidates have been engaging in activities that blur the lines between legitimate surveys and partisan efforts to register individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes.”

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