Tripura: Left Front alleges irregularities in use of EVMs ahead of polls

Opposition CPI (M)-led Left Front leaders on Friday alleged that the election authorities in Tripura are using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) without Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units, reportedly brought from Madhya Pradesh, despite sufficient machines being available within the state.

The 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), comprising 28 elected representatives and two members nominated by the state government, is scheduled to go to the polls on April 12.

Meanwhile, the by-election for the Dharmanagar Assembly seat in North Tripura district will be held on April 9.

Tripura Left Front Committee convenor and former minister Manik Dey stated that during a recent all-party meeting, the Left parties, Congress, and a few other parties, excluding the BJP, demanded the use of EVMs equipped with VVPAT.

However, State Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar rejected the demand.

Alleging that the State Election Commission (SEC) is functioning with a “political angle,” Dey further said that the Commission also turned down the demand for the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the upcoming TTAADC polls and Assembly by-elections

“Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma, during an election campaign, declared that whichever button the voter presses while voting, the vote would go in favour of the BJP. We have submitted a complaint against the minister, but the SEC has not taken any action yet,” Dey said, accompanied by other Left leaders.

He also noted that the SEC dismissed the demand for webcasting of voting proceedings, citing a lack of funds. Dey termed this reasoning unacceptable and contrary to the principles of transparency during balloting.

The Left Front convenor further alleged that money and freebies are being openly distributed to voters, but the SEC has failed to take action against the parties and leaders involved. Similarly, he claimed that the Election Commission of India has not taken adequate measures to ensure that the Dharmanagar by-election is conducted in a free and fair manner.

A total of six candidates, nominated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Congress, and smaller parties, are contesting the by-election for the Dharmanagar Assembly seat.

The bypoll was necessitated by the death of sitting MLA and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, who passed away on December 26, 2025, at a private hospital in Bengaluru after a prolonged illness.

According to SEC officials, the BJP, Tipra Motha Party (TMP), and the Left Front have fielded candidates in all 28 seats of the TTAADC elections. The Congress is contesting 27 seats, while the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) has fielded candidates in 24.

In addition, 38 Independent candidates and nominees from smaller parties are also in the fray. Altogether, 173 candidates are contesting the April 12 elections to the TTAADC, which administers nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s geographical area of 10,491 sq km and serves a population of over 12.16 lakh, approximately 84 per cent of whom belong to indigenous tribal communities.