Stage set for counting in Tripura

Agartala, Mar 5 (UNI) The Election Commission of India(ECI) has made all arrangements for the smooth counting of votes on March 7 for the tenth Tripura Assembly elections held on February 23.

Apart from about 700 observers and 2,500 counting personnel, the ECI has made three-tier security arrangement around each counting hall at 19 stations of the state, while imposing several restrictions on the political parties during the counting.

Chief Electoral Officer(CEO) Dr G S G Ayyangar here today said the counting would be conducted on 707 tables and the first layer of security would be manned by central scrutiny forces, while two others would be guarded by TSR jawans.

The CEO held meetings with all the district-level election officials in view of the counting and asked the concerned officials, including District Magistrates, Returning Officers and counting personnel to make the counting trouble free and uphold the record of model election in the country as was observed during election.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders have already been imposed in and around the counting stations and the state police have taken sue precautions in sensitive localities of the state to contain possible post-poll violence.

Police sources said both the CPI(M) and the Congress-INPT had raised allegations of threat and intimidations against each other, following the polls on February 23, which compelled the police to hold road-shows and special operations.

Police had taken additional measures for counting on March 7 to maintain peace in the state and adequate paramilitary forces have reportedly been deployed in certain locations, considering the sensitivity of these areas.

Tripura has set a record voters' turnout in electoral history in post-Independent era in the country at 91.86 per cent in this year's state assembly elections.

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