Tripura govt demands 200 company central forces for elections

Agartala, Dec 11 (UNI) The Tripura Election department has demanded 200 company central forces to maintain security in the state during the Assembly elections.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) G S G Ayyanger said here today that even though the general law and order situation in the state had improved substaintially, additional central paramilitary forces were required to ensure peaceful elections.

''In the last Assembly elections, altogether 176 company paramilitary forces were deployed during the polls. However, this year we wanted 200 security personnel considering the changing scenario in the state, including population growth,'' Dr Ayyanger said.

He stated that teachers might be relieved from the poll duties following the instructions of Delhi High Court, while the employees of other state and central government departments and corporations would be mobilised in the election duties. However, the final decision would be taken after getting the orders from the ECI.

Dr Ayyanger informed that the election department had already issued instructions to the administration to select about 12,000 election officials, besides teachers.

Except the remote Longtari Valley and Gandacherra, the officials in the other sub-divisions had already been appointed and the final picture would be clearer after the district level review meetings were held this week.

Meanwhile, according to the decision of the ECI, the jawans of the Tripura State Rifles would cast their votes where their wives or parents had been residing during preparation of the electoral rolls, Dr Ayyanger said, adding that the ECI had made it clear that permanent residence would not be an issue.

Earlier, an Opposition party INPT had raised the issue, opposing the previous practice of casting votes at their work place for the paramilitary forces.

UNI