Agartala, April 12 (IANS) The crucial elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) are underway across all eight districts of the state, with over 50 per cent of the 9,62,697 voters having cast their votes till noon to decide the fate of 173 candidates.

The 30-member TTAADC, comprising 28 elected representatives and two members nominated by the state government, administers nearly 70 per cent of Tripura’s 10,491 sq km geographical area. This makes it a strategically significant constitutional body, second only to the state Assembly in terms of political importance.

According to officials from the State Election Commission (SEC), around 50 per cent of voters exercised their franchise by noon, and no major incidents were reported anywhere in the state.

Even before polling began at 7 a.m., tribal men and women dressed in traditional attire turned out in large numbers, forming queues at most of the 1,257 polling stations across the state. Polling will continue uninterrupted until 4 p.m., primarily in tribal-inhabited areas.

Following a month-long high-voltage campaign marked by intense political activity and sporadic clashes among party workers, the politically significant TTAADC elections are expected to shape the future political landscape of the northeastern state. A total of 9,62,697 voters, predominantly from tribal communities, including 4,80,666 women, are eligible to vote and will determine the fate of 173 candidates contesting across 28 Assembly constituencies spread over eight districts.

The electoral contest features three national parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front, and the Congress, along with two prominent regional parties, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT). A few smaller parties and Independent candidates are also in the fray.

According to SEC officials, the BJP, TMP, and the Left Front have fielded candidates in all 28 Assembly seats, while the Congress is contesting in 27 seats and the IPFT in 24. In addition, 38 Independent candidates and nominees from smaller political outfits are also contesting.

Notably, the BJP’s two tribal-based allies — TMP and IPFT — are contesting separately after failing to forge an electoral alliance for the TTAADC polls.

The one-and-a-half-month-long campaign witnessed several clashes, particularly between BJP and TMP supporters, leaving more than 50 leaders and party workers injured across various districts. Despite the tensions, leaders from the BJP, TMP, and opposition parties have all expressed confidence in securing victory.

To ensure peaceful polling, extensive security arrangements have been put in place. Tripura Director General of Police Anurag said that more than 13,500 Central and state security personnel have been deployed across the 28 constituencies of the tribal council. He noted that the Central government has provided 24 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), comprising around 1,500 personnel, at the last moment for election duty. In addition, around 12,000 personnel from the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and the state police have also been deployed to maintain law and order.

“Of the total 1,257 polling stations, 311 have been categorised as highly critical, 693 as vulnerable, and 253 as normal,” the police official said, appealing to voters to cast their votes without fear and cooperate with authorities to maintain peace.

Since 2021, the TMP — an ally of the BJP — has governed the strategically important council, widely regarded as the second most significant constitutional body in Tripura after the state Assembly.

The TTAADC was constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution in June 1985 to promote the socio-economic development of tribal communities, who continue to play a vital role in the state’s political dynamics.

Tribal communities account for nearly one-third of Tripura’s 4.2 million population. The results of the TTAADC elections will be announced on April 17.

–IANS

sc/dpb