Tight security for Tripura civic polls on Wednesday

Agartala: Civic polls in the Left-ruled Tripura on Wednesday will see tight security measures across the state as well as along the India-Bangladesh border, officials said here Tuesday.

"Over 6,600 security forces, including central-para military personnel, would be deployed to hold the civic polls peacefully. The BSF has been asked to intensify their vigil along the India-Bangladesh border," Inspector General of Police (law and order) Anurag told reporters.

He said, "In all, 86 mobile patrolling teams would conduct close surveillance during the polls. Adequate number of personnel from CRPF, BSF and Assam Rifles would be deployed in and around the polling stations."

Elections would be held on Wednesday to the 49-seat Agartala Municipal Corporation, 13 municipal councils and five Nagar Panchayats across the state.

In Jirania Nagar Panchayat in western Tripura, the ruling Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist) has got a majority uncontested.

Currently, except in Ambassa Municipal Council in northern Tripura, the CPI-M-led Left parties are ruling in all the municipal bodies, including the politically important Agartala Municipal Corporation.

There are a total of 886 contenders, including 429 women, from all parties in the fray.

The Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, Trinamool Congress besides the Left Front are among those contesting the elections to the local urban bodies.

State Election Commissioner G. Kameswara Rao told the media that by-elections to some seats in gram panchayat and panchayat samitis would also be held on Wednesday.

"Electronic Voting Machines would be used to conduct the elections in the municipal bodies while old Bungo and Godrej type ballot boxes would be used for the by-polls to the gram panchayats and panchayat samities," said Rao, who was earlier the chief secretary of Tripura.

He said that 537,968 people, including 268,754 women, are eligible to cast their votes in the municipal elections.

The 144-year-old Agartala Municipal Corporation is the oldest municipal body in the northeastern region.

The Agartala municipality, which turned into a corporation two years back, was constituted in 1871.