Agartala, March 25 The CPI(M)-led Left Front has demanded the deployment of central paramilitary forces at all polling booths for the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), a senior leader said on Wednesday.
Polling for the 28 seats of the tribal council is scheduled to be held on April 12.
A Left Front delegation met State Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar on Tuesday and submitted a set of demands to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections, convenor Manik Dey told reporters.
He said the alliance has sought the deployment of central forces in every booth, citing the prevailing law and order situation in the areas going to the polls.
"In response, the SEC informed us that a request for additional central paramilitary forces has been made, but no response has been received yet from the competent authority," Dey said.
The Left Front also demanded adequate security for candidates, especially in hilly areas where they have to travel for campaigning.
Dey said the delegation urged the authorities to intensify patrolling to ensure voters can reach polling stations without fear or intimidation and return safely after casting their votes. It also called for restricting the entry of people from non-polling areas into poll-bound regions.
Additionally, the bloc sought the introduction of webcasting with scanners at all polling booths to enable real-time monitoring by officials and political party representatives.
"The SEC gave a patient hearing to our concerns and assured us that the issues would be looked into," Dey added.
According to officials, out of 1,257 booths, 311 have been marked as having a high criticality index, while 693 face a security threat perception. Around 11,000 personnel from central forces and the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) are expected to be deployed on the polling day.