Northeast Desk, 8th April: As Tripura gears up for crucial elections, approximately 12,000 central and state paramilitary forces are set to be deployed across the state, announced a senior police officer.
The voting process for the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat and the by-election in the Ramnagar assembly seat is scheduled for the first phase on April 19. Subsequently, electors in the Tripura East Lok Sabha constituency will cast their votes in the second phase on April 26.
Assistant Inspector General (Law and Order), Jyotishman Das Chaudhury, revealed that a total of 84 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) have been stationed in the state for the elections. Notably, 14 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrived on Thursday to bolster security measures.
Chaudhury emphasized that the deployment of 84 companies of CAPFs is deemed sufficient for conducting the elections in Tripura. Each company typically comprises around 80-100 personnel.
In addition to the central forces, approximately 4,500 personnel from the state paramilitary force, Tripura State Rifles, will be mobilized for election-related duties. Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) will maintain vigilance along the India-Bangladesh international border.
Highlighting security measures, Vishal Kumar, Returning Officer of the Tripura West Lok Sabha seat, noted that out of the 1,685 polling booths in the constituency, 565 have been identified as critical and vulnerable. Tight security arrangements will be implemented in these areas.
Saju Vaheed, Returning Officer of the Tripura East Parliamentary constituency, assured that vulnerability mapping of polling booths is continuously updated based on ground inputs and political party feedback. Adequate security forces have been deployed to ensure the integrity and peaceful conduct of the elections across the state.
Furthermore, intensified vigilance along the 856-km border with Bangladesh aims to thwart any potential intrusion attempts during the electoral process.
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