NEW DELHI: Full coverage of all polling stations, checkposts and nakas by central para-military forces in pollbound
Tripura, with 5,000-6,000 personnel reaching the state even before the election was announced, along with strict vigil along the inter-state and international borders that led to a 25-fold increase in total seizures of inducements like cash, drugs and liquor, were key factors in pulling off what the
Election Commission on Thursday described as “largely violence-free” polls.
In line with chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar’s declaration while announcing the Tripura poll schedule, that violence before, during and after elections is limited to only a few states and there is no place for poll violence in democracy, the commission had made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peaceful and fair elections in a state with a chequered history of violent poll clashes and political violence.
The arrangements included deployment of over 30,000 central para-military personnel in the small state to ensure 100% coverage of all polling booths, checkposts and inter-state borders, not to mention the international borders where BSF ensured tight vigil.
The EC on Thursday said meticulous planning, regular exhaustive reviews held by the commission with neighbouring states as well as other enforcement agencies ensured “smooth conduct of elections in Tripura in a largely violence-free, fair, inclusive and accessible manner”.
Coordinated efforts of various enforcement agencies like Assam Rifles, BSF, NCB and DRI yielded a record 25-fold rise in seizures from 1.8 crore in 2018 to 44.7 crore this time. Drugs constituted the highest percentage of seizures, valued at 26.8 crore. A special inter-agency team — comprising the district police, forest officials, BSF and anti-narcotics agencies — constituted to control illegal drugs resulted in 14.12 crore of ganja cultivation being destroyed in Tripura. Other cumulative seizures included cash worth 3.4 crore, liquor valued at 2.6 crore, freebies worth 8.47 crore and precious metals worth 3.41 crore.
The exponential rise in seizures is in line with what was witnessed during the polls in Gujarat and
Himachal Pradesh last year. While seizures in Gujarat had witnessed a massive jump of 2,847% as compared to 2017 polls, Himachal Pradesh witnessed a 534% increase.