Agartala, April 3 (NationPress) Leaders from the opposition CPI (M)-led Left Front on Friday raised concerns regarding the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by the election authorities in Tripura. They claimed that these EVMs are being utilized without the necessary Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units, which are allegedly sourced from Madhya Pradesh, even though ample machines are available within the state.

The upcoming elections for the 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which includes 28 elected officials and two nominated by the state government, are set for April 12.

Additionally, a by-election for the Dharmanagar Assembly seat in North Tripura district is scheduled for April 9.

Manik Dey, convenor of the Tripura Left Front Committee and former minister, mentioned that during a recent all-party meeting, the Left parties, along with Congress and other groups, excluding the BJP, insisted on using EVMs that are equipped with VVPAT.

However, the State Election Commissioner, Manoj Kumar, dismissed this request.

Dey alleged that the State Election Commission (SEC) is operating with a “political bias” and highlighted that they also rejected the call for deploying Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the forthcoming TTAADC elections and Assembly by-elections.

“During an election campaign, Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma stated that regardless of which button a voter presses, the vote would favor the BJP. We have lodged a complaint against the minister, but the SEC has yet to respond,” Dey expressed, flanked by other Left leaders.

He also pointed out that the SEC declined the request for webcasting the voting process, citing budget constraints. Dey deemed this explanation unacceptable and contrary to the principles of transparency in the electoral process.

The Left Front convenor further alleged that there are instances of monetary and material incentives being distributed to voters, yet the SEC has not acted against the involved parties and leaders. Similarly, he asserted that the Election Commission of India has not implemented sufficient measures to guarantee a fair electoral process for the Dharmanagar by-election.

Currently, six candidates from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Congress, and other smaller parties are vying for the Dharmanagar Assembly seat.

This bypoll was necessitated by the passing of the sitting MLA and Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, who died on December 26, 2025, after a lengthy illness.

According to SEC officials, the BJP, Tipra Motha Party (TMP), and the Left Front have nominated candidates for all 28 seats in the TTAADC elections. The Congress is contesting 27 seats, while the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) has fielded candidates for 24.

Furthermore, there are 38 Independent candidates and nominees from smaller parties also participating. In total, 173 candidates are contesting in the April 12 elections for the TTAADC, which governs nearly two-thirds of Tripura’s geographical area of 10,491 sq km and serves a population exceeding 12.16 lakh, with approximately 84% belonging to indigenous tribal communities.