Tripura by-elections: CPI-M demands fresh polling in both constituencies, alleges ‘massive rigging’ by BJP

AGARTALA: Tripura CPI-M has demanded fresh polling in both the constituencies – Boxanagar and Dhanpur – by arranging strictest security measures, where voting for by-elections were held on Tuesday (September 05).

In a letter to Tripura chief electoral officer (CEO) Puneet Agarwal, CPI-M state committee secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said that the bye-elections in Boxanagar and Dhanpur assembly constituencies were “rigged by the ruling BJP miscreants”.

“Instead of flushing out of the outsiders from the constituency and adjacent areas, the ruling BJP miscreants were allowed in large number to get into the constituency areas from 3rd September night. They were deputed in strategic points spreading the entire areas of both the constituencies to carry on operation on the poll day. On 4th August night, one Abu Jafar, a CPI(M) leader was physically assaulted at his house at Boxanagar by BJP candidate Tofazzal Hussain himself,” the Tripura CPI-M leader alleged.

He claimed that during by-polls only 16 CPI-M polling agents in Boxanagar and 19 in Dhanpur could manage to attend the respective polling booths as most of them were “forcibly driven out of the polling booths by the miscreants mobilized by the BJP”.

“Today, from dawn onwards, the outsiders gathered by the BJP started terrorization and intimidation specifically selecting the opposition supporters not to go to the polling booths. Those who dared to defy their dictate, were given threats of dire consequences,” the CPI-M leader said.

He added: “Many genuine voters returned back from midway of the polling booths. In Mohanbhog area of 23-Dhanpur AC, one Minister namely Bikash Debbarma physically led the terrorization drive today and instigated the BJP followers accompanying him to attack on Jayanta Debbarma, a TYF leader at Mohanbhog who had to be treated in GB Pant Hospital, Agartala. And Ramapada Jamatia, MLA was also found roaming around along with a big number of outsiders. Large number of outsiders cast vote in the name of absentee voters.”

He alleged that in many polling booths, most of the voters were forced to cast vote in the voting compartment in presence of BJP miscreants or the miscreants themselves cast vote on behalf of the voters.

“In view of these eventualities, CPI(M) Tripura State Secretariat demands countermand of entire elections in both the constituencies and arrange a fresh poll with strictest security measures,” he said.