Tripura opposition demands central forces for upcoming civic elections

Opposition parties in Tripura, led by the Left Front, are demanding the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to ensure peaceful and fair elections for 21 municipal and urban local bodies. A delegation representing the CPI(M), CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc, and CPI(ML) Liberation met with Chief Minister Manik Saha and acting Director General of Police G. S. Rao to submit a memorandum outlining security concerns.

The Left Front cited previous experiences in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) and village committee elections, alleging that opposition candidates were intimidated, prevented from filing nominations, and that polling agents were attacked. To prevent a recurrence, the parties requested that specific municipal and Nagar Panchayat areas be declared “most sensitive zones” and that central forces conduct route marches for seven days prior to polling to build voter confidence.

In a separate development, the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) announced that three All India Congress Committee (AICC) observers will visit the state from October 27 to 29. The Congress party is intensifying its campaign to demand electoral transparency, the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner, and the restoration of names removed from electoral rolls, alleging that the current process favors the BJP.