Agartala, Nov 15: Tripura has sought 25 additional companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to strengthen security arrangements for the upcoming urban local body elections, State Election Commission Secretary Anurag Sen said on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters at the State Election Commission office here, Sen said 14 companies of CAPF had already been deployed in the state, while the state police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) were proactively working to maintain law and order across the state.
“The police headquarters has requisitioned 25 additional companies of CAPF, which we have forwarded to the Home Department. The department will subsequently send the proposal to the Union Home Ministry for approval,” he said.
The additional forces, if approved, would be utilised for the ensuing elections to urban local bodies.
Sen said there was no formal decision yet on the use of CCTV cameras during the polls. However, the decision not to deploy Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines had been finalised.
Explaining the decision, he said the VVPAT system was compatible only with electronic voting machines used by the Election Commission of India (ECI), whereas the state election bodies were required to use machines previously deployed by the ECI but no longer used for parliamentary and Assembly elections.
He clarified that the restriction was based on a blanket instruction applicable to all State Election Commissions across the country and was not specific to Tripura.
The commission has also scheduled November 21 and 22 for election duty voters (EDVs), allowing personnel engaged in election-related duties to exercise their franchise before the actual polling date.
Those eligible include presiding and polling officers, officials assisting returning officers, drivers, cameramen and other personnel involved in the election process.
Sen urged such voters to contact the concerned returning officers at least three days in advance to facilitate the issuance of ballot papers.
On campaign-related publicity, Sen said the commission had not received any formal complaint so far. However, it had issued specific guidelines prescribing permissible dimensions and limits for flags, banners and other campaign materials.
He added that political parties would also have to comply with the provisions of the Tripura Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act.
The urban local body elections are expected to witness a contest primarily among the ruling BJP, the CPI(M)-led Left Front and the Congress, while TIPRA Motha is also in the electoral field. The BJP and its allies are seeking to consolidate their position, while the opposition parties are attempting to challenge the ruling establishment.
