Reported by Mrinal Kanti Banik

Agartala: The BJP-Tipra Motha alliance secured 4,320 seats in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Village Committee elections, with vote counting concluding after a day marked by tension and reports of violence at several locations.

According to the final results, Tipra Motha won 3,428 seats, while the BJP secured 859 seats and its alliance partner, the IPFT, won 33 seats. Together, the three parties accounted for 4,320 seats.

Independent candidates won 173 seats, while the CPI(M) secured 87 seats and the Congress 14 seats. The figures cover 4,594 declared results, with three seats remaining vacant.

Counting began at 8 am on Monday across 45 venues, with 44 counting halls and around 2,000 personnel deployed for the exercise. The State Election Commission had indicated that counting could extend into Tuesday at centres handling a larger number of Village Committees.

While the counting process remained peaceful at several locations, incidents of tension and clashes were reported in parts of Sepahijala and Dhalai districts.

In Khowai, security forces reportedly resorted to a lathi-charge outside a counting centre following a confrontation.

At Kathalia block in Sepahijala district, tension was reported at Poly Bari Class XII English Medium School, where votes for five ADC-based Village Committees were being counted. Local reports alleged that supporters of Tipra Motha blocked roads leading to the centre and prevented supporters of other parties from reaching the premises.

Representatives of several political parties subsequently staged a protest outside Jatrapur police station over the situation. Sepahijala Superintendent of Police Bijoy Debbarma was also present in Jatrapur, according to local inputs.

In Salema block, CPI(M) workers and supporters blocked a road at Maharani after alleging that their counting agents were prevented from entering the Maharani High School counting centre. The party further alleged that identification cards belonging to its agents were taken away.

Meanwhile, in Khowai district, police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel reportedly carried out a lathi-charge outside Bharat Sardar Vidyalaya, the designated counting centre for Tulashikhar Rural Development Block. Local sources claimed that a group attempted to breach security barricades and move towards the counting venue.

Around 10 to 12 people, including women, were reportedly injured in the incident and taken to Khowai district hospital.

At Mandai RD Block in West Tripura district, counting for 57 seats across 15 Village Committees was conducted under heavy deployment of state police and central security forces.

Counting at Mungiakami RD Block remained peaceful. In six seats where BJP and Tipra Motha candidates contested directly against each other, Tipra Motha won four seats, while BJP-backed candidates secured two.

The Village Committee elections were held on September 28, after a gap of 10 years, and recorded an overall voter turnout of 81.21 per cent.

Following an order of the State Election Commission, repolling was conducted on October 3 at three polling stations covering two Village Committees.