CPM SUBMITS 26 DEMANDS TO VISITING ECI, DEMANDS POLL ON SINGLE DAY, CPMF SECURITY

Opposition CPM has put forward as many as 26 demands to the visitng Election Commission of India  for free and fair assembly elections. CPM state secretary          Jitendra Chowdhury and  Ratan Das, party’s state committee in a memorandum to the ECI expressed their concern over the possibility of fair and violence free polls and sought to give in details of the ruling party’s attacks and other activities prohibiting the opposition parties from exercising their political rights.

The memorandum demanded that ‘Poll must be held in a single day’.  Then it continued with  that :

1. The officers who were removed from election duty for any lapses in earlier election should not be appointed  in any election duty again
2. Security forces: Central para-military forces should be used in entire election process upto the Counting and post election period.
3. Deployment of CPMF may be made well in advance before the poll date. They should conduct patrolling for area domination. The strength of deployment should be decided on the basis of vulnerability of the area.
4. One Police observer for each District may be appointed from among the senior police officers who will be assigned deployment of the CPMF in the concerned District.
5. All the Advertisements , both print and electronic media, must have marking of  MCMC approval so that unapproved items or edited items after certification  may not be published. Any Advertisements of any party approved by the MCMC must be apprised to all the political parties before publication.
6. No Advertisements should be published during 48 hours before commencement of the poll .
7. All the candidates and Election Agents must be provided with adequate security coverage.
8. Preventing Bribery: Instead of bribing to voters in conventional way, now a days bribing is taking place by online method. The party having abundant cash, collect bank Account numbers of the targeted electors and transfer money online. ECI should explore an effective method to stop this.
9. The borders must be completely sealed in the entire election period. 
10. A single window system must be set up to accord permission to the contesting parties for holding rallies, procession, demonstration etc. on first come first serve basis.
11. Bike-ridden organized gangs of the ruling parties are big concern for free and fair election. Their movements in groups must be stopped during entire campaign period.
12. All outsiders of concerned Assembly constituencies or even from other states must be flushed out of the government Bungalows, private hotels and guest houses immediately after the end of campaign.   

1. Good numbers of Micro Observers are found to be inadequate knowledge about election conduct rules. Before poll, they must be imparted training and thoroughly apprised of the election rules.
2. All the lanes and paths heading towards the Polling Booth must be under security cover so that no elector could be prevented from reaching polling station.
3. Before giving entrance to the premises of polling station, an officer may be deputed to check up identity of voters with the appearance of the elector with image of the EPIC.
4. Inside and outside of all the polling booths must be covered with webcasting.  Vigilance should be there to oversee against disruption of operation of the webcasting cameras. 
5. Strict watch should be kept so that no unauthorized person particularly the ruling party individual should have access to the operation of webcasting videography of the polling station. 
6. The polling agents of the opposition party candidates must be provided security for attending the booth, staying inside the booth and during his return after the end of poll.
7. The entrance of the polling booths must be manned by CPMF jawans. They should allow entrance of any elector only after matching his appearance with that of the EPIC.
8. No crowding should be allowed in front of the polling booths. 
9. In the polling booths, queues must be maintained only by the CPMF. To prevent booth jamming, no individual voter should be allowed to interfere with the voters queue.
10. Three-lair security must be set up to guard the Strong room where EVMs are stored. Political party representatives should be allowed to keep watch over the strong rooms round the clock.
11. All the Counting halls should be under the scanner of the web Camera.
12.  Any elector having EPIC of the state should be allowed to be appointed as Counting Agent in any of the counting hall.
13. They should be issued separate identity Card by the ROs.

The CPM also alleged that during last five years the elections namely Lok Sabha election, Assembly bye-election and the local body election of Gram Panchayat, Urban Bodies election and the TTAADC election – all were reduced to complete mockery. In the Local Body elections the opposition parties were not even allowed to collect nomination forms. As a result, the ruling BJP won unusually 96% of total seats uncontested. In Lok Sabha election 2019, the CPM pointed out, unlike any other state in the country, the Commission had to order re-poll in 167 polling booths in West Tripura Parliamentary constituency and defer the poll in 2-East Tripura (ST) parliamentary constituency for further strengthening security position in that constituency taking experience from the earlier poll. In Assembly bye-election 2022, there were rampant rigging in Agartala town itself, driving away the genuine voters from the queue or preventing them from approaching to the booths.

 The memorandum said, “you would be surprised to know that, during last five years, not a single opposition party office including that of the State Office of both CPI(M) and Congress, was left un-attacked by the BJP bike-gangs. The CPI(M) State Committee office, the main opposition party in the state was set on fire on broad day light on 8^th September 2021, led by Rajiv Bhattacharjee, the present State President of BJP in presence of police. On that single day, not less than 47 CPI(M)  party offices throughout the state were attacked, many set on fire by the ruling party activists.  Some of the party offices were gutted, attacked, vandalized and articles looted for 9/10 times in this regime. Practically arsoning or vandalizing the opposition party offices was the means of enjoyment of the BJP workers. Till now, there are several Sub-Divisional offices and one District Office of the CPI(M) remain closed due to terror of the ruling party”.

The opposition party also referred to the death of one CPI(M) activist Md. Sahid Mia (65) who was beaten to death while he joined Block Deputation programme at Charilam on November 30 last.

The CPM claimed that till now 24 of their leaders and workers were killed by the miscreants and not a single perpetrator could be booked till now.

The CPM alleged that leniency towards the perpetrators having attachment with the ruling BJP, had resulted in ‘complete breakdown of the general law and order in the state’.

The memorandum said, the government forced to stop several electronic media which does not follow in line with them. “The Commission should intervene to resume function of these closed media before the election”, it added.