Key Points

A nine-member delegation of the TMP, led by Debbarma, met the full ECI led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and demanded the SIR in Tripura similar to the procedure being adopted in Bihar. Two Election Commissioners -- Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi were also present in the meeting at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi.

After meeting the ECI, Debbarma, a former royal scion, said that one of the key agendas discussed was the immediate implementation of the SIR in Tripura, and the Commission has assured that the SIR would be conducted all across the country, including in Tripura. “Illegal migration is affecting our state and northeast, and today, if we don’t identify illegal voters, there will be no tomorrow for our next generation. The good news is that the ECI has assured the delegation (TMP) that SIR will be conducted across the country, including Tripura,” the TMP chief told the media.

The TMP, in a letter to the ECI, demanded to conduct the SIR of the electoral roll in Tripura, accompanied by a comprehensive door-to-door verification exercise, similar to the model recently adopted in the state of Bihar.

The tribal based party said that Tripura shares an 856-km international border with Bangladesh, much of which remains porous and inadequately fenced, posing serious challenges in monitoring and preventing illegal immigration. “The unchecked influx of undocumented immigrants has not only disrupted the socio-economic balance of the region but has also led to the dilution of electoral rolls, threatening the democratic rights of the indigenous tribal communities and undermining electoral fairness,” said TMP, an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura.

The TMP letter, signed by Debbarma, the state’s two ministers -- Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma -- said: “It is now an open secret that many illegal immigrants have obtained Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPICs), Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, driving licences, and even passports, often by fraudulent means. Corrupt officials, local brokers, and political strongmen helped the illegal migrants to procure these documents. In some cases, they have even managed to shift their Register of Residence (RoR) records from one place to another for electoral advantage. This is no longer just a Tripura-specific issue; it is a matter of national security, with serious implications for the democratic fabric of the country.”

The TMP delegation informed the ECI that in September 2012, around 1,46,000 illegal voters were identified in the state and at that time, leading local newspapers had reported that Vinod Saxena, the then joint Election Commissioner, personally visited Tripura and directed the authorities to carry out a correction of the electoral rolls. “Unfortunately, despite the gravity of the situation, these directives were never acted upon, and the anomalies have continued unchecked. Furthermore, a look at the Census data from 1971 to 1991 reveals that Tripura experienced a rate of population growth far above the national average during that period. The pattern continues to this day and it is visible in various demographic and electoral indicators,” the TMP said.

TMP chief Debbarma earlier said that illegal infiltrators would jeopardise the socio-economic and customary aspects of the state's indigenous people, especially the tribals. "The Government should take stringent steps to prevent the illegal infiltrators from entering India. Those already illegally staying in Tripura and other states must be pushed back immediately," the TMP chief had told IANS.

The TMP launched a widespread anti-infiltration campaign across Tripura in May this year. The party’s senior leader and Forest and Environment Minister Animesh Debbarma had said that no infiltrators would be allowed to stay in Tripura. “Government should deport those infiltrators who came to Tripura after March 1971," Minister Debbarma said.

- IANS