Politics / Tripura

AGARTALA, Feb 26 — Barring some incidents in rural polling stations, the Tripura polls today were by and large peaceful. The poll began at 7 am and by 11 am in many of the urban seats polling recorded about 50 per cent. As many as 19,31,465 voters cast their votes upto 4 pm to select their representatives to the 60-member Assembly from 254 candidates belonging to 14 political parties and Independents.

Women voters keen to cast their votes before starting their house works were seen in long serpentine queues from early morning. The male voters, however, came with the sun rising above the head...

KOLKATA, Feb 26 – Seven persons, including five BSF personnel, were killed, three injured and a number of electronic voting machines were damaged in stray violence during polling for 60-member assemblies in the three northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya today, reports PTI. The turnout in Tripura was the highest – between 75 to 80 per cent, followed by 60 to 70 per cent in Nagaland and 55 per cent in Meghalaya. Taking into account the 50 per cent turnout in Himachal Pradesh the total turnout in the four states is 60 per cent, Election Commission sources said.

Five BSF...

AGARTALA, Feb 23 — There are enough indications that the Election Commission which had earlier debarred the elite Tripura State Rifles from poll duties would reconsider the restrictions imposed on the force. Sources sad, the two Deputy Election Commissioners, Sayan Chatterje and Noor Muhammed during their visit here recently hinted that in view of the state administration and ruling CPI (M)’s requests the restriction would be withdrawn. The EC had earlier withdrawn the restrictions from two India Reserve Battalions of the TSR.

The Congress and INPT had alleged that the TSR was acting in a...

AGARTALA, Feb 23 — Congress ally Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) in its manifesto has sought to bring all the tribal ethnic groups under one umbrella, “Borok” nation and pledged to turn the Tripura Trial Area Autonomous District Council into “Borok Autonomous Regional Council.” The demand however invited sharp reaction from the ruling Left Front which felt the promise only smacks of INPT’s hidden agenda of ‘sovereign Tripura’s at the instance of the banned NLFT militants. The INPT also promised to identify the non-tribals who entered illegally, and deport them.

The tribal party...

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...

Agartala, Feb. 17: In a move which might bring it into direct confrontation with militant outfits, the Hoda Okra, the supreme council of Hindu Jamatya tribesmen in Tripura, has called for peaceful elections on February 26. It has also urged the people to cast their ballots “fearlessly with due regard for parliamentary democracy”.

The statement, the first ever electoral guidelines issued by the Hoda, assumes significance in the wake of boycott calls by the banned All-Tripura Tiger Force, the NLFT’s dissident faction led by Nayanbasi Jamatya, as well as stepped-up violence by the rival faction...

AGARTALA, Feb 17 — The women representation in the State continue to be dismal despite demand by both the Left Front and the Congress to reserve 33 per cent seats for the women. This time, there are only 17 women candidates in the fray for the February 26 Assembly polls in comparison to the total number of 254 candidates.

According to the Election Commission sources, the candidates are Kalyani Dey (Mitra), CPI(M) Barjala), Laxmi Nag Burman, (Congress, Khayerpur), Kartik Kanya Debbarma, (NCP, Takarjala), Tutan Chakraborty (Bhowmik), (JD (U), Sionamura), Pratima Bhoumik (BJP, Dhanpur), Mira Das...

AGARTALA, Feb 15—afnter the final withdrawal of nomination papers, 254 candidates are now in the fray for the February 26 Assembly elections in Tripura. Election department sources said, in the last date for withdrawal of nomination papers seven candidates opted out of the poll fight. However, most of them were independent candidates.

Among those who withdrew their papers are Lok Jana Shakti president Papri Halder from one seat-Barjala. She however will be fighting from Town Bordwali. Sources said, 280 candidates had earlier filed their nomination papers for the 60 Assembly seats but 19...

AGARTALA, Feb 16 — The battle for urban constituency Agartala is certainly an elite one. Since the electors in the seat are by and large educated and politically conscious, both the Congress and CPM have fielded educated candidates in the constituency: Engineer-turned-lawyer-turned politician Sudip Roy Barman and advocate-turned-politician Sankar Das.

Last year CPM had fielded a firebrand woman candidate Krishna Rakshit against an equally firebrand Sudip Roy Barman. Apart from bringing a woman Marxist up the ladder, the CPM might have had in mind that the Agartala seat is dominated by...

AGARTALA, Feb 8 ? Forty-eight polling stations in West Tripura district have been identified as hyper sensitive. Superintendent of Police (West) Anurag speaking to reporters said, 119 other booths have been identified as sensitive and step have been taken to ensure free and fair polls in all these stations.

Overall there are 1155 polling stations in West Tripura district. The sensitive booths fall under Simna (10), Mandai (3), Mohanpur (2), Takarjala (4), Golaghati (1), Charilam (1), Ashrambari (4), Pramodenagar (3), Kalyanpur (2), Krishnapur (15) and Teliamura (3). Anurag said, as a...