Agartala, Mar 30: The electoral atmosphere in Tripura’s Sixth Schedule areas has grown tense as the CPIM State Committee officially moved the State Election Commission (SEC) over two critical integrity issues: the deployment of “obsolete” voting technology and allegedly coercive political rhetoric from a sitting Minister.
In a formal memorandum submitted on Monday, CPIM State Secretary Jitendra Chaudhury revealed that First Level Checking (FLC) of machines across various subdivisions indicates a plan to use older Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) that lack the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system.
For the voters in the TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) regions, where political identity and democratic transparency are deeply intertwined, the absence of a paper trail is being framed by the Left Front as a systemic risk to the “free and fair” nature of the upcoming polls.
The CPIM also expressed concern over a controversial statement allegedly made by Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Referring to a speech delivered on March 28 at Bachaibari in Khowai subdivision, the party claimed that Debbarma stated that votes cast in favour of Tipra Motha would ultimately benefit the BJP.
Terming the remark as “offensive” and “misleading,” Chaudhury said such statements undermine the integrity of the electoral process and reflect disrespect toward democratic institutions, including the Election Commission.
Three-Point Demand from the Left Front
The CPIM has placed the following demands on the SEC’s desk:
VVPAT Universalization: Absolute mandatory use of paper-trail-equipped EVMs in every polling station.
Legal Action: The registration of an FIR against Minister Bikash Debbarma and a subsequent ban on his campaigning activities.
Stakeholder Dialogue: An urgent all-party meeting to address the Left Front’s grievances regarding the TTAADC election roadmap.
The party emphasized that these measures are essential to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections and to uphold the credibility of the democratic process in the TTAADC polls.
The State Election Commission has not yet issued an official response to the letter.
News Analysis: The VVPAT Shadow in Tripura
The demand for VVPATs in the TTAADC elections isn’t just a technicality; it is a response to the evolving “Triangular” politics of Tripura. Since the 2021 TTAADC polls, where the Tipra Motha disrupted the traditional Left-vs-Right binary, every vote has become a high-stakes commodity.
In a state with a history of high voter turnout and intense grassroots activism, any perceived regression in voting technology (from VVPAT-enabled back to standalone EVMs) is viewed by the opposition as vulnerability.
By linking the VVPAT issue with the Minister’s comments, the CPIM is attempting to position itself as the primary defender of the “sanctity of the ballot” against the ruling dispensation’s perceived influence.