AGARTALA, Feb 18 — Under the shadow of insurgents violence, battlelines have been drawn between Tripura ruling Left Front and its arch rival Congress and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) for the February 26 elections to the member assembly, reports PTI. The dominant Left Front partner CPI-M alone is contesting 55 seats and allies CPI-2. All India Forward Bloc (AIFB)-1 and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP)-2.
Congress has fielded 42 candidates and it ally INPT in 18 constituencies reserved for tribals. Besides Left Front and Cong-INPT combine, BJP and Trinamool Congress and NCP are contesting in a few seats. The total number of candidates in fray are 254 of which maximum are independents. Altogether, 19,35,143 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise of which 10,02152 are males and 93,2991 females. For the first time, electronic voting machines will be used in the State.
A total 2,372 polling stations will be set up for the polls and out of these 124 polling stations were identified as hyper-sensitive, 353 very sensitive and 412 sensitive. Helicopters would be pressed into service for dropping poll personnel in remote and inaccessible parts of the State and to keep aerial vigil to ensure peaceful conduct of the polls. With the electioneering packing up momentum in the State, militancy related violence as well as political clashes have increased sharply in the last fortnight. The outlawed insurgents of National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) killed 11 supporters and activists of CPI-M on January 26 in West Tripura district, about 15 km away from Agartala.
Within a week of the incident, another 12 people were kidnapped from a village in North Tripura district by the ultras of the same outfit. The CPI-M claimed that they were its supporters and were being held captive inside Bangladesh. Police said at least 35 activists of CPI-M and seven activists of INPT were killed either by the ultras or by political activists. A fear psychosis prevails in interior areas because of insurgency. The All Tripura Tiger (ATTF) has called for a boycott of the election and NLFT, which according to CPI-M is the armed organisation of INPT, is intimidating voters.
However, to instill confidence the army has been deployed in sensitive areas and security beefed up throughout Tripura to ensure free and peaceful election. Chief Secretary V Thulasidas said the State government had taken all necessary precautions to make the election free and fair and the Centre assured all possible help to check insurgents trying to disrupt the poll.