With Tripura scheduled to go to the polls for civic elections on November 27, security has been stepped up across the state to ensure a peaceful election process. As part of the security preparedness, police, Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jointly conducted a flag march in different parts of the state, where elections would be held on November 27.
Police sources said that armed personnel from the security forces were seen marching through various important locations and roads in the town as part of the exercise aimed at maintaining law and order and instilling a sense of security among residents ahead of the elections.
In Udaipur, the flag march was led by Gomati District Superintendent of Police (SP) Anirban Das. Additional Superintendent of Police Rajib Sutradhar, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Udaipur, Debanjali Roy, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of RK Pur police station, Sanjib Laskar, along with other police and security officials and personnel, also participated in the exercise.
While, similar flag marches have been conducted in Dharmanagar, Belonia, Teliamura, Kailashahar and other subdivisions of the state, where civic bodies elections would be conducted on November 27 next.
The initiative was undertaken to prevent any untoward incidents during the election period and ensure that voters can exercise their democratic rights without fear or disruption.
Through the flag march, the security forces also sought to assess the law and order situation in different parts of the town while conveying a message of vigilance and preparedness.
With the civic polls approaching, the administration is giving special attention to strengthening security arrangements, maintaining peace and ensuring the safety of voters. The joint flag march by police, TSR and CRPF is being viewed as a significant step towards preventing any disturbance and ensuring a peaceful election across Tripura.
It may be recalled here that the Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) on Friday evening (October 30) announced that elections to 21 urban local bodies (ULBs), including the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), will be held on November 27.
As per the election schedules, the last date for filing nomination papers has been fixed as November 6, while scrutiny of nominations will take place the next day (November 7). Candidates will be able to withdraw their nominations till November 10. The counting of votes will be held on December 2.
A total of 6, 29,903 voters, including 3, 21,743 women, 3,08,115 men and 45 third-gender voters, are eligible to exercise their franchise in the upcoming elections. The 21 urban local bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation, would expire on December 9. The elections will be held for a total of 345 seats across the 21 urban local bodies. The Agartala Municipal Corporation alone has 51 seats. Of the total 345 seats, 162 have been reserved for women, 80 for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and nine for those belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Police sources said that Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel would not be deployed for the urban local body elections. Instead, adequate personnel from the state police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) would be deployed to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and peaceful manner.