Tripura civic election: The Tripura Municipal Council (TMC) expresses concerns over free and fair elections in the absence of VVPAT and CCTV cameras.

Tripura civic election: The Tripura Municipal Council (TMC) expresses concerns over free and fair elections in the absence of VVPAT and CCTV cameras.

Subal Bhowmik, the head of the Trinamool Congress‘ Tripura unit’s Steering Committee, claimed that the police have remained a quiet spectator to incidences of violence against party candidates.

Highlights: 

• The TMC leader expressed disappointment that the Election Commission had not set up VVPAT and CCTV cameras for the polling.
• Elections for civic bodies in the state of Tripura are set to take place today.

In the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and other municipal bodies, elections will be placed on Thursday, but the Trinamool Congress’ Tripura unit Steering Committee head, Subal Bhowmik, has expressed concerns about the conduct of free and fair votes in the city.

While claiming that the police continue to be a silent spectator to incidents of violence against political candidates, Subal Bhowmik expressed disappointment that the Election Commission has not set up voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs) and closed-circuit television cameras for use at the polling stations.

He is reported to have said, “The staging of municipal elections has devolved into a farce as a result of the Election Commission’s failure to provide VVPATs and CCTV cameras at the polling station locations. It is a disgrace that the ruling regime has created such a climate in the country.”

According to him, the state’s violence against TMC employees continues despite orders from the Supreme Court to the police to ensure free and fair conduct of the elections.

Bhowmik made the following statement to the media: “At least 32 candidates for our party have been attacked in various regions of the state, and the number of attacks on workers is uncountable. The level of political retribution that the TMC is experiencing in the state has beyond all expectations.”

“Vandalism was committed against the homes of three presidential candidates on Tuesday. There have been 27 formal complaints filed by the police, but no one has been arrested. Although the Supreme Court’s decision has been upheld, the police have remained silent throughout the proceedings. Even going to the police station and filing a complaint is a laborious endeavor. This situation is likely to continue for the foreseeable future, making free and fair elections in the state impossible “he explained.

In response to state Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath’s comments on the court’s order, the TMC leader stated that the party did not want the elections to be postponed at this time.

“The primary goal of our petition was to persuade the Court of the current state of affairs in Tripura, as well as the procedures that must be followed in order to ensure free and fair elections.” Furthermore, the Court’s decision makes it very evident that the Court is concerned about the upcoming elections “He went on to say more.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court rejected the request of the All India Trinamool Congress to postpone the Tripura local body elections, which were scheduled for November 25. Instead, the Court directed the police to improve security arrangements to ensure a free and fair election and the announcement of results.

According to Tripura Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath, who responded to the ruling on Tuesday, the TMC’s plot to postpone the civic body elections in the state was defeated when the Supreme Court dismissed the petition to postpone the elections.

Elections for civic bodies in the state of Tripura are set to take place today. Tensions have intensified in Tripura as a result of violence in the run-up to elections for the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and 12 other local government entities.

CPIM calls on the DGP to take action against miscreants who are allegedly using terror methods.

Jitendra Chaudhury, state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), issued a letter to the Director-General of Police on the eve of the Tripura municipal elections. Asserting that miscreants/outsiders were employing terror tactics inside the poll-bound Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Agartala Municipal Corporation areas at the direction of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he demanded that the DGP take necessary action against them (BJP).

Jitendra Chaudhury claimed that miscreants are intimidating the homes of opposition supporters, threatening them with severe repercussions if they do not show up at the polling stations on November 25, 2021, for the urban local body elections in the city of Kolkata.

“On behalf of the Communist Party of India (Marxists) and the Former Left Commission of Tripla, take the necessary steps to ensure that all invaders are removed from the pollen area as soon as possible and all necessary precautions are taken. I encourage you to do so, to create an environment that encourages free and fair elections, “Chaudhury wrote in his letter.

“I would like to inform you that information has been pouring in from various poll-bound ULBs and several wards of Agartala Municipal Council that a large number of miscreants are intruding into those areas at the behest of the ruling BJP and terrorizing the homes of opposition supporters with dire consequences, with the threat of not moving into polling stations tomorrow, November 25, 2021,” the statement continued.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma