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Journalism of Courage
The stage is set for the counting of votes in the high-stakes Tripura Assembly polls, which will get underway from 8 am Thursday in 21 locations across the state amid tight security involving the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Tripura Police personnel.
The key contenders in the Tripura polls are the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its partner Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), the Opposition Left Front and its ally Congress, and the TIPRA Motha party.
In the 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP ended 25 years of consecutive Left Front rule to clinch a majority in the 60-member House. This time, with Chief Minister Manik Saha as its face the saffron party contested 55 seats on the plank of “sushashan” or good governance while the IPFT contested six seats.
The CPI(M)-led Left Front contested from 47 seats,with the Congress fighting from the remaining 13 seats as part of their first-ever seat-sharing partnership in Tripura. In the past the CPI(M) and the Congress had been arch rivals with a bitter history of violence. The two parties however came together this time on the plank of “restoration of democracy and rule of law” in the state, alleging that the same was subverted on the BJP’s watch.
Another major contender in this election is the scion of the erstwhile Tripura royal family, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, whose TIPRA Motha party is riding on its plank of “Greater Tipraland”, a proposed autonomous state for tribals inside Tripura which would have greater legislative, administrative and financial autonomy than the existing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) administration.
Barely a couple of months after Pradyot Kishore floated the TIPRA Motha in 2021, the party swept the TTAADC polls. The party has now emerged in this election as a possible kingmaker.
The polling took place in Tripura on February 17, which saw over 90 per cent turnout amid five “stray incidents” of violence. While the Opposition attributed the high turnout to the “anti-incumbency” factor, the BJP claimed it indicated its smooth sailing in the elections. The state has a history of high polling though.
The exit polls, which broadly predicted a simple majority for the BJP, have boosted the morale of the saffron party and its rank and file.
The Left and the Congress, on the other hand, have dismissed the exit polls’ projections as “baseless”, exuding hope for their victory. Pradyot Kishore has also echoed similar views.
Many in the state have kept their fingers crossed over the outcome of this fiercely-fought election.
To ensure adequate security during the counting of votes, 100 CAPF companies have been deployed in addition to 11,000-strong TSR and state police personnel. They have set up “naka points” across the state, even as border outposts have been strengthened in collaboration with the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans.
The security forces have also been carrying out the counter-insurgency and anti-narcotics operations in the state.
The CAPF personnel are doing flag marches, especially in vulnerable areas, while joint area domination and mobile patrolling is being done involving the CAPF, TSR and state police.
Foolproof, three-tier security arrangements have been made for counting centres, with the state police and TSR personnel being deployed in the outermost and second rings, respectively, and the CAPF jawans standing guard outside the strong rooms at the counting centres.
