[Marxistindia] Tripura: Restore Democracy, Countermand Elections in Rigged Polls

[news from the cpi(m)]

November 26, 2021

Press Statement

 

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the
following statement:

 

Tripura: Restore Democracy, Countermand Elections in Rigged Polls

 

The municipal elections held in Tripura on November 25 comprising the
Agartala municipal corporation and 19 other municipal bodies was converted
into an outright farce by the ruling BJP.

 

Prior to the polling day, in Agartala and other towns, gangs of BJP men
began visiting houses and threatening CPI(M) candidates, polling agents and
local leaders warning them not to go out on polling day.  Threats of
physical violence and driving their families out of their houses were
issued.  

 

On polling day, in Agartala, Dharmanagar, Khowai, Belonia and Melaghar,
there was extensive booth capturing by BJP goons and physical prevention of
voters in many places.  In Agartala town, polling agents of Left parties
were beaten up and driven out of many booths.  Most of the booths were
captured at the start of the polling itself and people prevented from
voting.  Earlier, in seven municipalities, opposition candidates were
prevented from filing nominations.  As a result, after withdrawals, BJP
candidates were elected unopposed.

 

All these brazen attacks on the electoral system, democracy and the right to
vote have taken place despite the Supreme Court passing orders to ensure
adequate deployment of Central police forces to secure the electoral
process.  The BJP state government has blatantly flouted all the directions
issued by the Supreme Court.  The police and Central police forces were made
to be mute spectators to the rigging of the election.

 

The Left Front of Tripura has demanded the countermanding of the polls to:
(1) Agartala municipal corporation, (2) Dharmanagar municipal council, (3)
Khowai municipal council, (4) Belonia municipal council and (5) Melaghar
municipal council.

 

Along with that, the Left Front has demanded re-polling in a number of wards
in other nagar panchayats like Panisagar, Subroom, Sonamura, Kumarghat,
Amarpur and other urban bodies.  

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) endorses this demand of the Left Front.
Since the Supreme Court had intervened to try and ensure a free and fair
poll, it should act now to safeguard democracy and the citizens' right to
vote in Tripura.

 

 

 

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