Tension erupts at Tripura's Khowai counting centre, police resort to lathi-charge

Tension broke out at Champa Haor under the Tula Shikhar Rural Development Block in Tripura’s Khowai district on October 5 as counting of votes for the Village Committee elections was underway.

Police and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel resorted to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control after a disturbance erupted at the counting venue. Further details on what triggered the tension were not immediately clear.

The incident came as counting for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Village Committee elections began across the state amid heightened security arrangements.

Counting commenced at 8 am at all 44 designated counting centres, State Election Commission secretary Anurag Sen said. Since the elections were conducted using ballot papers, officials have indicated that counting could take considerable time in several areas.

Sen said counting in larger rural development blocks, including Manu in Dhalai district, could continue for up to two days. Authorities have made arrangements to complete the process as early as possible.

Polling for 587 Village Committees was held on September 28, with an overall voter turnout of 81 per cent. Of the 4,597 seats across the committees, elections were held for 2,950 seats, while 1,644 seats were won unopposed by candidates of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the BJP.

A total of 8,176 candidates from the TMP, BJP, CPI(M), Congress and Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) are in the fray.

Security has been tightened across the tribal areas following a firing incident at Warengbari on polling day, when a TMP candidate was injured. A prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) has also been imposed in parts of Gomati district.

The results are being closely watched as the TTAADC area covers nearly two-thirds of Tripura and encompasses 20 of the state’s 60 Assembly constituencies. The outcome is expected to provide an indication of political trends in the tribal belt ahead of the 2028 Tripura Assembly elections.

The TMP, an ally of the BJP-led state government, had recorded a strong performance in the April TTAADC elections, winning 24 of the 28 seats. While the BJP and TMP had contested those elections separately, the two parties have joined hands under the NDA banner for the Village Committee polls.