Voters across the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) turned out early on Monday as Village Committee (VC) polls started, with more than one-fifth of eligible voters casting ballots by 10 a.m. amid tight security across eight districts.
Key Takeaways
- More than 20% voter turnout was recorded by 10 a.m. across tribal areas in the State.
- Polling is taking place for 2,950 seats in 587 Village Committees across eight districts.
- More than 15,000 Central and state security personnel have been deployed for the elections.
More than 20 per cent voter turnout was recorded by 10 a.m. on Monday as Tripura’s tribal areas voted in Village Committee elections after a 10-year gap. Officials said polling began at 7 a.m. across eight districts, with no untoward incident reported during the initial hours.
Early Turnout Strong Across TTAADC
Men and women, mainly from tribal communities, began arriving at polling stations well before voting started. Long queues formed at several polling centres before the 7 a.m. opening.
A senior official at Tripura Police headquarters said authorities had not received any report of an untoward incident from the poll-bound areas.
The elections cover Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). The ruling BJP is contesting against the CPIM-led Left Front and Congress. The BJP is fighting the polls in alliance with the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).
Polling Underway for 2,950 Seats
The elections cover 587 Village Committees with 4,597 seats in total. Voting on Monday is taking place for 2,950 seats.
Candidates of the TMP and BJP have already secured 1,644 seats without a contest. No nominations were filed for three seats.
A total of 8,176 candidates from different political parties remain in the contest for the seats going to the polls.
Around 6.65 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 1,095 polling stations across the eight districts.
The TSEC is using four ballot paper colours for different categories of seats. The papers are white, light pink, light green and light blue.
Security Tightened at Sensitive Centres
The authorities have strengthened security at polling stations in sensitive and remote locations. Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel have been deployed at these centres.
Nearly 7,458 polling personnel are working in 1,243 teams to manage election-related duties at the polling stations.
A senior police official said more than 15,000 Central and state security personnel had been deployed across the eight districts. The deployment aims to maintain free, fair, smooth and peaceful polling.
Around 74 CAPF companies, comprising nearly 5,000 personnel, are part of the security arrangement. Another 10,000 personnel from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Tripura Police have also been deployed.
TMP Wins 1,557 Seats Uncontested
The TSEC had earlier announced elections for all 4,597 seats across 587 Village Committees. These bodies function as the equivalent of Gram Panchayats in areas outside the TTAADC and non-tribal regions.
According to the TSEC, the TMP won 1,557 seats uncontested. This represents 33.87 per cent of the total seats. The BJP secured 81 seats without a contest, accounting for 1.76 per cent.
Polling is being held for the remaining 2,950 seats after uncontested victories and the withdrawal of nominations by 1,069 candidates from various political parties, including the TMP, BJP and CPIM.
Monday’s voting covers 44 of the 52 blocks across all eight districts.
Elections Return After a Decade
The Village Committee elections are being conducted after a gap of 10 years following directions from the Supreme Court. The polls carry significance for local governance in the tribal areas administered by the TTAADC.
The Tipra Motha Party (TMP), led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, has governed the 30-member TTAADC since 2021. The council has 28 elected members and two members nominated by the state government.
The TTAADC was established on April 1, 1985, under the Sixth Schedule following the 49th Amendment to the Indian Constitution. It covers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km area.
More than 12.16 lakh people live within the council’s jurisdiction. Indigenous communities account for around 84 per cent of the population.
Vote Counting on October 5
The TSEC has put administrative and security arrangements in place to support peaceful and transparent polling.
With voting now underway across the eight districts, the next major stage will be the counting of ballots.
Votes will be counted on October 5. (With inputs from IANS)
