Election Commission's 'Mission-929' To Take Voter Turnout In Tripura To Over 90%

The Election Commission (EC) is focusing on 929 polling booths across Tripura, setting a target of 92 per cent voter turnout in the assembly elections due early this year, an official said on Sunday.

These booths recorded a voter turnout of less than 89 per cent, which was the average across 3,328 booths in the 2018 assembly polls, he said. "To turnaround the relatively low voting percentage in these booths, the EC has launched 'Mission-929'. Apart from an awareness campaign, poll officials will visit senior citizens and persons with disability, and appeal them to cast their votes," the official said.

He said all requisite arrangements such as ramps, wheelchairs and separate queues will be arranged at every polling station to felicitate senior citizens and persons with disability. "Besides, special security measures will be ensured so that voters can cast their votes. By all-around efforts from all stakeholders, it will be possible to achieve the target of 92 per cent turnout during the upcoming elections," he said. The official said that the EC is also working on 'Mission Zero Poll Violence' to make the assembly elections peaceful.

"An elaborate plan has been chalked out to avoid any kind of untoward incident during the elections. Assembly constituency-wise workshops will also be organised to achieve the mission," he said. Even though the elections are held in a festive atmosphere in the state, those are often marred by violence, the official said. Around 50 companies of central forces have already arrived in the state for election-related deployments, and 50 more companies will be coming to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections, he said.