Tripura: Political Tensions Escalate as Congress Publicity Van Vandalized

AGARTALA: The Congress and INDIA bloc candidate, Ashish Kumar Saha, has written a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Tripura, Puneet Agarwal, requesting strict action against individuals reportedly supported by the BJP.

They are accused of vandalizing and destroying a Congress publicity vehicle.

In the letter, Saha claimed that on April 2, miscreants committed a serious violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). They allegedly forcefully took control of a Congress publicity vehicle that was prominently displaying party flags, banners, and posters.

The driver of the vehicle, Pradip Debnath, was reportedly abducted by a group of men and taken into the nearby jungle at Brinda Chowmuhani from Kali Baazar under the West District of Tripura, as per eyewitnesses.

“Upon reaching Brinda Chowmuhani, the BJP-affiliated individuals proceeded to vandalize and destroy the flags, flexes, and posters on the vehicle, and the materials have been set on fire blatantly violating the sanctity of the electoral process and undermining the democratic principles upheld by our nation. This egregious act of coercion and intimidation not only threatens the integrity of the ongoing electoral proceedings but also poses a significant risk to the safety and well-being of individuals involved in the electoral process, the letter stated.

It further read, “I must stress the urgency of this matter, as the actions of these BJP goons strike at the very heart of our democratic ideals. Furthermore, the deliberate targeting of political opponents and their campaign materials represents a flagrant disregard for the laws and regulations governing fair and free elections in our country.”

Saha, the Tripura Congress's President and the Chief Electoral Officer to take immediate and firm action and address this injustice.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission, for the first time, has allowed around 2,000 personnel of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), deployed in Delhi and Chhattisgarh, to exercise their franchise as "service voters" for the state's two Lok Sabha seats and an Assembly by-election.

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