Agartala: Tripura was on Saturday awarded for best election management in state assembly poll last year, sourcdes here said.
With better facilities and resources election management of Rajasthan and Delhi have also been awarded along with Tripura for best performance in holding election as part of National Voters Day celebration.
In last assembly election in Tripura, 93.61 per cent electorate exercised their franchise and this was an all-time high polling percentage in any election in India so far. Besides, 2.13 per cent more women cast their votes in comparison to their male counterparts in the election, which draws the attention of Election Commission (ECI).
President Pranab Mukherjee awarded Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Tripura Ashutosh Jindal for encouraging performance of leading a jumbo election team to hold a violence free and fair poll to 60 -members house.
Tripura has also recognised for holding election with 100 per cent error-free electoral roll and motivated eligible voters in the polling station to exercise their franchise through Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation programme.
After receiving trophy, CEO Jindal said, “I am thankful to each and every voters as well as to all the recognised political parties of Tripura for helping us to hold such a historic election in the state and this honour is given to them only.”
He recalled the previous highest polling percentage was recorded in Sikkim, where more than 87 per cent voting was recorded in the 2004 assembly elections but Tripura has broken the record in 2013 assembly poll.
‘During my tenure as CEO, Tripura has scripted an electoral history with the highest turnout ever in India and I am really proud of it and thankful to the people,’ he said and added: ‘The voters in Tripura stand in queues outside the polling stations in such a disciplined and patient manner for long hours, it has to be seen to be believed.’
There was no major complaint by any political party or voter in Tripura during 2013 election against electioneering and whenever, any issue came up it had been addressed immediately at the satisfactory level of the complainants, reacted the state minister Bhanu Lal Saha holding the portfolio of election. He however, reiterated that ECI had chosen Jindal as an international observer for Cambodia and Bangladesh because of his performance in July last year and January this year respectively. Saha also maintained that Jindal has earned accolades from voters for his prompt responses before, during and after the polling.
On the day of polling, when the Election Commission helpline 1950 was not working, he mobilised senior election officers to the crowded booths to facilitate the voting.
The Tripura election authority recognised as many as 30,099 new voters in the 18 years plus category at a simple ceremony during the celebration of National Voters’ Day (NVD) today in Agartala.
Final electoral roll published ahead of the Lok Sabha election has seen a growth of 1.3 per cent, with an electoral population ratio of 623 and coverage of 100 per cent voters under the EPIC. (UNI)
