Tripura by-polls: CPIM demands fresh poll in both assemblies

Alleging massive rigging in the by-election, Tripura CPIM demanded a fresh poll in both the constituencies including in 20-Boxanagar and 23-Dhanpur constituencies by arranging the strictest security measures.

In a letter to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Puneet Agarwal, CPIM state committee secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said that the bye-elections in 20-Boxanagar and 23-Dhanpur Assembly Constituency have been totally rigged by the ruling BJP miscreants using a section of the police and Civil Administration through an extraordinary terror situation.

“Instead of flushing out of the outsiders from the Constituency and adjacent areas, the ruling BJP miscreants were allowed in large numbers to get into the constituency areas from 3rd September night. They were deputed in strategic points spreading the entire areas of both the constituencies to carry on operation on the poll day. On 4th August night, one Abu Jafar, a CPI(M) leader was physically assaulted at his house at Boxanagar by BJP candidate Tofazzal Hussain himself”, he alleged.

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He claimed that today during the by-poll only 16 CPI(M) polling agents in 20-Boxanagar AC and 19 in 23-Dhanpur AC could manage to attend the respective polling booths as most of them were forcibly driven out of the polling booths by the miscreants mobilized by the BJP.

Today, from dawn onwards, the outsiders gathered by the BJP started terrorization and intimidation specifically selecting the opposition supporters not to go to the polling booths. Those who dared to defy their dictate were given threats of dire consequences. Many genuine voters were returned back from midway through the polling booths. In the Mohanbhog area of 23-Dhanpur AC, one Minister namely Bikash Debbarma physically led the terrorization drive today and instigated the BJP followers accompanying him to attack Jayanta Debbarma, a TYF leader at Mohanbhog who had to be treated in GB Pant Hospital, Agartala. And Ramapada Jamatia, MLA was also found roaming around along with a large number of outsiders. A large number of outsiders cast vote in the name of absentee voters”, he said.

He alleged that in many polling booths, most of the voters were forced to cast votes in the voting compartment in the presence of BJP miscreants or the miscreants themselves cast vote on behalf of the voters.
“In view of these eventualities, CPI(M) Tripura State Secretariat demands countermand of entire elections in both the constituencies and arrange a fresh poll with strictest security measures”, he said.

He also demanded the arrest of Minister Bikash Debbarma, who physically led a large number of miscreants to terrorise voters, removal of the Superintended of Police Sepahijala and both the ROS of Boxanagar and Dhanpur immediately.