Agartala, Jan 24, 2023, TRIPURATIMES Desk
Agartala, Jan 24: The Special Observers of the ECI who had come here yesterday, held high level meetings with the senior state government officials, police and CAPF top brass on Tuesday.
The three observers Yogendra Tripathy, retired IAS officer of Karnataka cadre; Vivek Johri, former Director General of Police of Madhya Pradesh; and B. Murali Kumar, IRS officer made it clear that all steps should be taken with due importance to ensure that next assembly elections slated for February 16 were free, fair and transparent.
“The most important is that the elections must be free of all sort of violence and a fool-proof arrangements should be put in place”, said the ECI observers to the officials.
In the meeting with the Special Observers on Tuesday Chief Secretary J K Sinha, DGP Amitabh Ranjan, ADG Saurabh Tripathi, CEO Kiran Gitte, IGP L Darlong, IGP Soumitra Dhar, IGP G S Rao, senior CAPF officials and others were present the state government officials briefed the Observers details of the poll preparedness. Later the Observers also held meeting with the District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police via Video Conferencing.
In all likelihood the political parties will also meet the observers and apprised them of the state’s pre –poll situation from their own point of views.
Official sources said, after Tripura, the observers will proceed to another poll-bound state Meghalaya, where elections will be held on February 27.
Besides the special observers, the EC has also appointed five other categories of observers -- general, police, expenditure, micro and counting.
The poll panel has so far deployed around 200 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) in Tripura and more CAPF comprising Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force companies are expected to arrive in the state.
"The flag marches by the CAPF have already started since the second week of this month to ensure confidence building among the political workers for campaigning and among the citizens to cast their votes freely without any fear. The security forces are deployed well before the poll process so that they get familiar with the locality. Local police should extend necessary cooperation to the CAPF," an EC official said.
The poll body on January 19 ordered an inquiry into attacks on a Congress bike rally in Majlishpur Assembly constituency in West Tripura district and next day asked the state government to suspend a Sub-Divisional Police Officer and remove two Officer-in-Charge of two police stations.