📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Adv.tksujith
Politics
Tripura CPI(M) Demands Action Over EVMs Without VVPAT in ULB Elections
✍️ India Today NE
🗓 14 Nov 2026, 05:03 AM
👁 19
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Tripura has raised objections to the use of electronic voting machines without VVPAT in recent urban local body polls and called for disciplinary action against a BJP MLA.
The Tripura unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) lodged a formal protest after the recent urban local body (ULB) elections were conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs) that did not have the accompanying Voter‑Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system. The party argued that the absence of VVPAT undermines transparency and the credibility of the electoral process.
CPI(M) leaders submitted a written complaint to the Tripura State Election Commission, urging it to investigate the procedural lapse and to ensure that future polls adhere to the mandated VVPAT requirement. They also demanded that the commission take punitive action against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator who, according to the party, was involved in influencing the election machinery.
The state election authorities have not yet responded publicly to the allegations. The issue arrives at a time when the Election Commission of India has been emphasizing the need for VVPAT verification across all levels of elections to bolster voter confidence.
If the complaint is upheld, it could lead to a review of the voting equipment used in Tripura’s local bodies and potentially trigger disciplinary measures against the implicated BJP MLA, reinforcing the demand for stricter compliance with electoral norms.
CPI(M) leaders submitted a written complaint to the Tripura State Election Commission, urging it to investigate the procedural lapse and to ensure that future polls adhere to the mandated VVPAT requirement. They also demanded that the commission take punitive action against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator who, according to the party, was involved in influencing the election machinery.
The state election authorities have not yet responded publicly to the allegations. The issue arrives at a time when the Election Commission of India has been emphasizing the need for VVPAT verification across all levels of elections to bolster voter confidence.
If the complaint is upheld, it could lead to a review of the voting equipment used in Tripura’s local bodies and potentially trigger disciplinary measures against the implicated BJP MLA, reinforcing the demand for stricter compliance with electoral norms.