Over 80 per cent of the 6.65 lakh eligible voters in Tripura’s tribal districts cast ballots in the Village Committee elections held on Monday, marking the first such polls in a decade, officials said. Voting began at 7 a.m. and was scheduled to end at 4 p.m., yet more than 8,000 voters remained in line at 40 blocks after the deadline, indicating strong participation.
Violence erupted in Gomati district, where two people, including a Tipra Motha Party candidate, were injured when unidentified persons fired at them and were later hospitalized. In a separate incident, Superintendent of Police Anirban Das and other officers were hurt during a clash with activists at the Gamaria school strong room. Polling in the other seven tribal districts remained largely peaceful.
The elections covered 2,950 of the 4,597 notified seats across 587 Village Committees, equivalent to Gram Panchayats in non‑tribal areas. Eighty‑nine percent of the seats were contested by 8,176 candidates from various parties, while 1,644 seats were won uncontested. Security was bolstered with 15,000 Central and state personnel, including 5,000 Central Armed Police Force members, 10,000 Tripura State Rifles and Tripura Police officers, to ensure free and fair polling.
The Tipra Motha Party secured 1,557 seats, or 33.87 per cent, uncontested, and the BJP, in alliance with the TMP and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, won 81 seats without contest. The TTAADC, governed by the TMP since 2021, will have its new composition finalized when votes are counted on October 5. The elections are seen as a significant step in local governance for Tripura’s tribal areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
