Voting for Tripura’s three-tier Gram Panchayats is in progress with an encouraging turnout of over 50 per cent so far, according to officials.
The Tripura State Election Commission or SEC reported that approximately 50 per cent of the State’s 13 lakh voters have cast their ballots. The election has largely proceeded without major violence, though there have been a few minor incidents, primarily in Sepahijala, Gomati, and South Tripura districts, where police quickly intervened in cases of intimidation, attacks on polling agents, and other misconduct.
State Election Commissioner Saradindu Chaudhuri highlighted the extensive security measures in place to ensure a smooth election. Over 10,000 State security forces, including personnel from the Tripura State Rifles or TSR, along with about 2,200 Central Armed Police Force or CAPF members, have been deployed.
Despite Opposition claims of pre-poll violence and intimidation, the ruling BJP has already secured victories without opposition in 4,551 (71.44 per cent) of the 6,370 Gram Panchayat seats, 235 (55.55 per cent) of the 423 Panchayat Samiti seats, and 20 (17 per cent) of the 116 Zilla Parishad seats.
The elections are taking place across 1,819 seats in 606 Gram Panchayats, 188 seats in 35 Panchayat Samitis, and 96 seats in eight Zilla Parishads. A total of 4,761 candidates from various political parties are contesting, excluding the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council regions.
With 33 per cent of seats reserved for women, the counting of votes is scheduled for August 12.
The Tripura High Court had earlier directed the SEC to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner, following multiple petitions from opposition parties Congress and CPI(M), who had raised concerns about pre-election violence and intimidation.
