The Election Commission has decided to send central paramilitary forces to Tripura from next week. Around 300 companies of central forces are expected to be deployed in Tripura for assembly elections due in early 2023 and the first batch of troops is likely to arrive in the northeastern state next week. Officials gave this information on Tuesday. “Central paramilitary forces will start moving from the next week of this month to states where elections are due in early 2023. These forces will come through trains from different places in the country,” said the CEO.
Another official said around 300 companies of central forces are expected to be deployed in the northeastern state to ensure free and fair elections, though there is no specific security threat. “We have asked for adequate force to conduct peaceful polls and the numbers will be finalized within two or three days,” he said.
A senior police officer said that initially 100 companies of CRPF, BSF, ITBP and CISF would be deployed in the state and later 200 more companies would come for election duty.
300 companies of central forces were deployed in Tripura for the 2018 assembly elections. The CEO has held meetings with Inspector General GS Rao, who is the nodal security officer of the state police, and officials from the transport and food and civil supplies departments to arrange logistics for the central forces. The District Magistrate (DM) will make all possible logistics arrangements for the central forces.
As part of confidence building among people, the state police has already started flag marches in several areas of the state and intensified preventive measures to keep troublemakers at bay. Besides 10,000 police personnel, the northeastern state has nine battalions of the Tripura State Rifles (TSR), and three brigades of the force stationed outside the state.
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