After completion of polling, which by and large peaceful, barring some stray incidents of forceful obstruction to voters, polling agents were not allowed to enter into the several polling station, the opposition INDIA Bloc on Friday evening demanded countermand of elections to both Lok Sabha and assembly by-poll and arrangement of fresh polls.

Addressing a press conference at Agartala press club on Friday evening two INDIA Bloc candidates Ashish Kumar Saha and Ratan Das accompanied by convener of Tripura Left Front Committee, Narayan Kar, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, two former ministers Manik Dey and Pabitra Kar alleged that BJP has organized pre-planned all out rigging and made the election to Tripura West (Gen) PC  and be-election to 7-Ramnagar Assembly constituency a complete farce.

“The BJP has started threatening for dire consequences if any one dare to discharge responsibility as Polling Agent of the INDIA Bloc candidate in Parliament and Assembly constituencies since closure of open campaign for the above- mentioned two constituencies,” said Ashish Kumar Saha and added that at the same time BJP has resorted to threatening to the voters in chunk on whom BJP has no trust by saying that not to come out from their houses to go for casting their votes.

But brushing all threats and odds with courage, the people have started coming out of their houses to go for casting their votes and also the selected workers of INDIA Bloc with courage have joined to perform their duty as polling agents, but miscreants owing allegiance with ruling party obstructed them and forcefully were not allow them to enter into polling stations to perform their duties as polling agents. He said that out of 1686 polling booths of West Tripura PC and 49 polling booths of Ramnagar assembly seat, about 80 % of polling agents were driven out from polling stations.

“In an astonishing manner, perpetrating physical assaults, most of the Polling Agents of the INDIA Bloc candidates have been driven out from the polling booths in the early hours of the start of casting of vote. On the other hand, area after area, the BJP political hoodlums have started preventing the identified voters from coming out of their houses,” said Narayankar Kar.

 He alleged that BJP hoodlums have resorted to throwing out the voters whom BJP has doubt or lack of political trust from voters’ queue including physical torture in barbaric manner.

Moreover, according to their ugly chalked out plan, BJP hoodlums mobilized from outside have started casting false vote in the name of the absentee voters forced by them to abstain, Kar alleged and added that all these pre-meditated highly fascistic scheme of destruction of democracy in Tripura has blatantly surpassed the blemished experience of rigging of election to this Tripura West Parliamentary constituency in 2019.

Speaking in the press meet, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman demanding re-poll in both Lok Sabha and assembly seats, said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) said so many things for conduct of free, fair and peaceful normal elections and their subordinates have also echoed the same in Tripura. But the electorate of Tripura West Lok Sabha seat and the 7-Ramnagar Assembly seat have been surprised to see the utter failure of the Election Commission to help and allow a sizeable number of electorate to exercise their franchise and the tall talks and promises made by the Election Commission have become fruitless and toothless.

He said that there were no police patrolling, no movement of security forces and only security personnel were seen inside polling stations, which has helped hoodlums to continue threatening general voters and largely obstructed them.

Under these circumstances, the INDIA Bloc parties  on behalf of the thousands and thousands of deprived electorate demanded the ECI to countermand both the election held on Friday and arrange fresh elections in an atmosphere where the democratic rights of the electorate is properly protected and the people’s confidence in democracy can be restored.

They have also expressed their apprehension over ensuing polling for East Tripura ST reserved Lok Sabha seat and demanded actual implementation of three-tier security in the entire constituency, which has been assured by ECI.