Tripura seeks special security from central forces for elections
The Tripura government has asked central paramilitary forces to make special security arrangements not only during the upcoming assembly elections but also after the announcement of results, said senior government officials.
The deputation of central forces in states is decided after deliberations between the state governments and the ministry of home affairs (MHA), and it is standard practice for forces to remain deputed after the announcement of results.
Central paramilitary forces are mandated to make security arrangements before, during, and after the elections depending on the requirement of the state.
A senior paramilitary officer and a senior government official said that representatives from Tripura, during their meeting with the Central Armed Police Force (CRPF) officers, specifically asked paramilitary unit to focus on the period following the announcement of election results.
Tripura assembly elections are scheduled to take place on February 18. Counting for the 60 assembly seats is set for March 3.
A senior paramilitary officer said the request made by Tripura was not based on any intelligence input but due to the “state’s history”.
“There have been instances of violence in the state during elections. Furthermore, violence between political parties has been observed in the recent past. It is in this context that the request has been made,” the officer said, on the condition of anonymity.
A number of violent clashes have been reported from the state this year, purportedly between cadre of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and BJP party workers, with both parties accusing each other of violence.
RR Bhatnagar, director general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), travelled to Tripura this week to check on the security preparations. A group of CRPF officials will also visitMeghalaya and Nagaland, the other two election-bound states in the northeast this month.
In the last state elections in 2013, the CPI(M) had emerged the winner with 49 seats, the Indian National Congress (INC) had managed to secure 10 while the remaining seat was won by the Communist Party of India. The BJP is also in the fray this year.
Another challenge for the CRPF will be the Nagaland assembly polls scheduled for February 27.
Civil rights groups and political parties in the state, including the ruling Naga People’s Front (NPF), announced a unanimous decision not to contest the polls. In communication sent to the Election Commission of India, additional chief electoral officer in Nagaland, N Moa Aier, wrote that no nominations had been filed till January 31.
nomination papers of 307 candidates were accepted for the February 18 polls for the 60-seat Tripura assembly.
The Election Commission rejected 13 nominations of BJP, its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), and other regional parties, after scrutiny. “There were dummy candidates fielded by BJP, IPFT and a few other small parties. Even some of their applications contained mistakes due to which their nominations were rejected,” said additional chief electoral officer, Debasish Modak. The last date for withdrawal of nomination papers is February 3, after which the candidates’ list would be finalised.
NEW DELHI: AGARTALA:The