Large security with 24 companies CAPFs deployment for Tripura tribal council polls on April 12, DGP

More than 13,500 Central and state security personnel will be deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the politically significant elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) scheduled for April 12.

The 30-member TTAADC, consisting of 28 elected representatives and two members nominated by the state government, administers nearly 70 per cent of Tripura's 10,491 square km geographical area, making it a strategically vital constitutional body.

Tripura Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag on Friday said that the Central government has, at the last moment, provided 24 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), comprising around 1,500 personnel, for election duty.

"Of the 24 CAPF companies, 12 belong to the Border Security Force (BSF), 10 to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and two to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). By Saturday, these forces will be deployed across all 28 TTAADC constituencies," the state police Chief told the media.

In addition, around 12,000 personnel from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and the state police will also be deployed to maintain law and order during the elections.

According to the DGP, of the total 1,257 polling stations, 311 have been categorised as highly critical, 693 as vulnerable, and 253 as normal.

He emphasised that comprehensive security arrangements have been put in place to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner.

DGP Anurag also appealed to the voters to exercise their vote without fear and cooperate with authorities to uphold the tradition of peaceful elections in the state.

State Election Commission (SEC) Secretary Anurag Sen said that a total of 9,62,697 voters, predominantly from tribal communities, are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming state elections, which includes 4,80,666 women voters.

The elections have drawn participation from three national parties -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front, and the Congress -- along with two regional parties, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), besides several local parties and Independent candidates.

Altogether, 173 candidates are contesting across the 28 Assembly seats.

The SEC officials said that the BJP, TMP, and the Left Front have fielded candidates in all 28 seats, Congress in 27, and the IPFT in 24 seats.

Additionally, 38 Independent candidates and nominees from smaller parties are also in the fray.

Meanwhile, the BJP's two tribal-based allies -- TMP and IPFT -- are contesting separately after failing to reach an electoral alliance for the TTAADC polls.

The BJP, led by Chief Minister Manik Saha and state party President Rajib Bhattacharjee, the Left Front led by CPI-M Politburo member and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury and former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, the Congress led by Congress Working Committee member and former Minister Sudip Roy Barman, and the TMP led by party Chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma have all carried out intensive campaigns to gain control of the council.

Since 2021, the TMP, an ally of the BJP, has governed the strategically important council, which is widely regarded as the second most significant constitutional body in the state after the Tripura Assembly.

The TTAADC was constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution in June 1985 to promote the socio-economic development of tribal communities, who have always played a crucial role in Tripura's political landscape.

Tribals account for nearly one-third of the state's 4.2 million population.