Agartala: CPI(M), the only opposition party that contested the by-elections of Boxanagar and Dhanpur, on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of India to countermand the whole election process and conduct fresh elections in both assembly constituencies. Hours after the polling was complete in both seats, CPI(M) Tripura State Secretary Jitendra Choudhury wrote a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer to raise his demand. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Chief Election Commissioner, New Delhi.
In his letter, the CPI(M) leader said, “The by-elections in 20-Boxanagar and 23-Dhanpur Assembly Constituency have been totally rigged by the ruling BJP miscreants using a section of the police and Civil Administration through an extra-ordinary terror situation. Instead of flushing out the outsiders from the Constituency and adjacent areas, the ruling BJP miscreants were allowed in large numbers to get into the constituency areas from 3 September night, 2023. They were deputed in strategic points spreading the entire areas of both the constituencies to carry on operation on the poll day. On 4th September night, one Abu Jafar, a CPI(M) leader was physically assaulted at his house at Boxanagar by BJP candidate Tofazzal Hussain himself.”
According to the letter, the CPIM party could not even send their polling agents to the booths due to the violent tactics unleashed by the BJP.
“Today, only 16 CPI(M) polling agents in 20-Boxanagar AC and 19 in 23- Dhanpur AC could manage to attend the respective polling booths. But most of them were forcibly driven out of the polling booths by the miscreants mobilised by the BJP,” the letter said.
He also accused Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma of being involved in the poll rigging.
“In the Mohanbhog area of 23-Dhanpur AC, one Minister, namely Sri Bikash Debbarma, physically led the terrorisation drive today. Sri Bikash Debbarma, the Minister instigated the BJP followers accompanying him to attack 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 large number of outsiders. A large number of outsiders cast votes in the name of absentee voters. 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,” the letter reads.
The letter also alleged that the Police’s inaction against the troublemakers only exuded confidence in the miscreants deployed for poll rigging.
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“The police supposedly getting a tacit signal from the administration, did not take any measure to contain the evil drive of the BJP miscreants. In this way the elections in both the constituencies have been reduced to a complete mockery. In view of these eventualities, CPI(M) Tripura State Secretariat demands countermanding of entire elections in both the constituencies i.e. 20-Boxanagar and 23-Dhanpur constituencies and arrange a fresh poll with strictest security measures,” the letter said.
The party also demanded action against the Minister and the removal of the incumbent police superintendent of the Sepahijala district.
“We have three specific demands for the Election Commission of India. Arrest Minister Bikash Debbarma physically led a large number of miscreants to the terrorization of voters. Remove SP Sepahijala, and both the ROS of Boxanagar, and Dhanpur immediately. As the employees posted in the poll-bound Sub-Division have to work under duress, electoral staff may be drafted from outside the poll-bound district,” Choudhury told EastMojo over the phone.
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