Not a conducive environment for free and fair polls: Tripura opposition parties

So far, the state has conducted linked 94.23 per cent Aadhaar numbers and 100 per cent EPIC card details to voter rolls, state chief election officer Kiran Gitte said

Opposition parties CPM and Congress in Tripura on Tuesday alleged that it is not conducive to conduct free and fair assembly elections, scheduled for early next year, because of the ‘deteriorating’ condition of law and order in the state.

For representational purposes only. (PTI File Photo)

They made the claims during an all-party meeting convened by state chief election officer Kiran Gitte a day before releasing the draft electoral roll.

“There has been no democracy in the state since 2018. How can transparent polls be held here? We have asked to ensure registration of the voters freely,” former legislator and CPM senior leader Ratan Das said.

Ex-Congress legislator Asish Kumar Saha said, “We have urged to remove fake voters from the electoral roll. We also asked to ensure deployment of paramilitary forces more than the previous elections.”

“We have asked the CEO to ensure error-free electoral roll,” said a leader from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The summary revision of the electoral roll will go on for a month starting today before the final electoral roll is released ahead of the 2023 assembly polls.

So far, the state has conducted linked 94.23 per cent Aadhaar numbers and 100 per cent EPIC card details to voter rolls, Gitte said.

He added that the authorities have completed the enrollment of nearly 50 per cent names of Bru displaced persons who were repatriated in the state and the entire process is expected to be over within the next month.