Agartala, April 16 (IANS) Polling to Tripura East parliamentary constituency, slated for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 18, has been deferred, it was announced late on Tuesday.
Click to read Notification of Poll Defferment
Polling will now take place in the seat on April 23, in the third phase of the polls, an official said.
Elections to the northeastern state’s other Lok Sabha seat – Tripura West – was held in the first phase on polling on April 11.
“To create conducive situation and (arrange) deployment of adequate additional security forces, the polling was deferred by the Election Commission. We would make all efforts to improve the situation in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency,” Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sriram Taranikanti told IANS.
“We would undertake all possible confidence building measures before April 23. We would try to plug the loopholes, if any, in the poll preparedness in the Tripura East Lok Sabha seat,” the official said.
The CEO also said that the Election Commission has also transferred Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Rajiv Singh, a senior IPS officer.
“Another senior IPS officer V.S.Yadav has been appointed as Special Director General of Police (Law and Order) in place of Singh,” Election Commission Secretary Arvind Anand in a letter to the CEO communicated the EC decision about the transfer.
EC Under Secretary Santosh Kumar Dubey in a letter to the CEO, which is available with IANS, said the Commission has directed to re-publish a notification about the deferment of the election.
Our correspondent adds: As per the notification election was deferred receiving reports from the Chief Electoral Officer and Special Police Observer. Reports suggested, law and order condition prevailing in the East LS seat ‘is not conducive to the holding of free and fair poll’ in the constituency on April 18.
Meanwhile, CPI-M State secretary Gautam Das welcomed the decision of deferring polls for East Parliamentary Constituency. “We have repeatedly demanded through deputation even staging sit-in demonstration that the election commission should ensure free and fair elections throughout the state”, Das said.
Tripura Congress president Pradyot Kishore Debbarma also hailed the decision and claimed the poll date deferment decision is a ‘moral victory’ for Congress.
