Tripura TTAADC Village Committee polls recorded an 81.21% voter turnout. State Election Commission ordered re-polling in three seats on October 3 following reports of booth capturing, ballot tampering, and symbol allotment discrepancies. Vote counting is scheduled for October 5 across 44 blocks.
The Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) concluded with an impressive overall voter turnout of 81.21 per cent, State Election Commissioner P K Chakravarti announced during an official press conference held at the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday.
Addressing media representatives, Chakravarti detailed the final voter statistics alongside critical regulatory decisions taken by the poll panel. The State Election Commission has formally ordered re-polling in three specific seats spanning two constituencies and two designated polling stations due to procedural irregularities and local disruptions. The re-poll exercise is scheduled to take place on October 3.
Detailing the exact locations, the State Election Commissioner stated that the fresh poll has been mandated for seats 3 and 4 under constituency number 2 in the Gamaria Village Committee of Matabari Rural Development (RD) Block, as well as seat 4 under constituency number 4 in the Paharpur Village Committee under Amarpur RD Block.
Chakravarti explained that the decision to conduct a re-poll in Gamaria came after verified reports confirmed serious electoral malpractice, including incidents of booth capturing, tampering with ballot boxes, and the compromise of ballot papers. In contrast, the administrative intervention in the Paharpur Village Committee was necessitated by an administrative discrepancy involving symbol allotment and printing-related errors on the ballot sheets.
The extensive grassroots democratic exercise was scheduled across 587 Village Committees throughout the state. An aggregate of 9,61,977 voters were initially registered and eligible to exercise their franchise. However, a significant chapter of the election concluded ahead of polling day, as 1,644 candidates were declared elected unopposed across various wards following the culmination of the nomination scrutiny and withdrawal phases.
Consequently, active voting took place across the remaining 44 RD blocks, covering 432 Village Committees, 1,768 constituencies, and 2,956 contested seats. A total of 8,176 candidates representing various political entities and independent platforms contested the elections. To facilitate this massive exercise, 6,58,247 registered voters were allocated across 1,095 designated polling stations established in the tribal council regions.
To ensure comprehensive enfranchisement, the State Election Commission made specialized arrangements for personnel on official duty. Chakravarti noted that polling staff, security personnel, and logistical workers deployed for election duties cast an aggregate of 6,628 postal and duty votes.
Explaining the data reconciliation process, Chakravarti revealed that preliminary field data received from returning officers past 4:00 PM on the day of polling indicated an estimated turnout of approximately 79 per cent. At that closing hour, roughly 10,850 eligible voters were still waiting in designated queues across polling stations in 28 RD blocks. Presiding officers issued official token slips to ensure all individuals queued within the perimeter could cast their ballots.
Following thorough scrutiny and verification of records in the presiding officers’ diaries, the ground turnout figure was adjusted upward to 81.01 per cent. Once the 6,628 election duty votes were fully integrated into the aggregate tally, the verified final polling percentage settled at 81.21 per cent.
Assessing the overall security scenario, Chakravarti observed that the polling process remained largely peaceful across the vast majority of polling booths, despite isolated incidents of unrest. The commission received eight formal complaints from political parties, largely highlighting the obstruction of authorized polling agents and attempts to prevent them from executing their duties. Inquiries were immediately instituted through observers and returning officers; several unsubstantiated complaints were disposed of, while pending matters remain under active probe.
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Additionally, the Commission received a formal representation from a Tipra Motha delegation regarding alleged gunfire and injuries sustained by a party candidate alongside two other individuals at Warengbari Senior Basic School. Chakravarti affirmed that the matter has been referred directly to senior police authorities and the Home Department for thorough investigation and appropriate legal action.
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The re-polling on October 3 will begin promptly at 7:00 AM. The centralized counting of votes for all 44 RD blocks will commence at 8:00 AM on October 5 at designated counting centers across the state.
