Agartala, September 29: The Tripura State Election Commission on Tuesday ordered repolling in three seats of two Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), citing booth capturing, tampering with ballot boxes and ballot papers, and discrepancies in symbol allotment and printing.
State Election Commissioner Dr Pradip Chakraborty accompanied by Anurag Sen, Secretary of the Commission during a press conference in the secretariat on Tuesday evening said repolling would be held in constituency No. 2, seats 3 and 4 of Gamaria Village Committee under Matabari RD block, following reports of booth capturing and tampering with ballot boxes and ballot papers.
Repolling was also ordered for constituency No. 4, seat No. 4 of Poharpur Village Committee under Amarpur RD block, due to discrepancies in symbol allotment and printing issues, he said.
The decisions were taken after the Commission examined reports submitted by district election officers, returning officers and election observers, besides scrutinising presiding officers’ diaries and complaints received from political parties, Chakraborty said.
The Commissioner said the Commission had received eight complaints so far, mostly alleging that political agents were prevented from entering polling stations or participating in the polling process. While some complaints were found to be without merit, inquiries into the remaining complaints are pending and action would be taken on the basis of field reports, he said.
On the law-and-order situation, Chakraborty said it was largely normal across the state, although there were some sporadic incidents.
He said the Commission had received a representation from a delegation of ruling alliance partner Tipra Motha regarding the reported firing at Warengbari SB School, in which a party candidate and two others were injured. The matter has been taken up with the police authorities and the Home Department for necessary action under law, he said.
The Commissioner also referred to an incident outside a poling station where people entered the polling premises and allegedly behaved in a disorderly manner with presiding officers. Another incident occurred at a receiving centre located on an alternative school premises, where a large crowd gathered and police attempted to disperse them. During the incident, stones were allegedly thrown, injuring a Superintendent of Police, he said.
The poll in the remaining constituencies was held on September 28 with a final turnout of 81.21 per cent, including election-duty votes, according to the Commission.
The election had originally covered 587 Village Committees, but after the withdrawal of candidature, 1,644 candidates were declared elected uncontested. Polling was subsequently held in 432 Village Committees across 44 RD blocks in eight districts, covering 1,768 constituencies and 2,956 polling stations, with 8,176 candidates in the fray.
