AGARTALA, Feb 21 (TIWN): The CPI-M on Tuesday demanded that the Election Commission order a "thorough probe" into the alleged violations of electoral law during the Tripura polls on Sunday, as also count of VVPAT slips in 13 constituencies.

Senior Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Nilotpal Basu met Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat here and pointed out various "irregularities" in the conduct of state assembly polls and called them a clear violation of the Representation of People Act, 1951.
 

Mr Basu also handed over the CEC a letter written by party's state unit head Bijan Dhar to the poll panel, wherein the latter has detailed all the anomalies.

In the letter, the CPI-M has pointed out that on February 17, the eve of the polling day, "some engineers, according to the state election authority, ECL engineers, opened up all the ballot units of Panisagar constituency, 12 ballot units of of Dharmanagar and three of Jubarajnagar constituencies in the absence of any political party representatives".

The party said that this has created "mystery" because after setting up of candidates' names in the ballot unit in the Returning Officer's office, no one has the authority to open the machines.

"It is still mystery what did the engineers do to the machines. Such opening up of machines was not required in any of the assembly segments," it said.

Polling in Tripura, where the CPI-M has been ruling uninterrupted since 1993, was held on Sunday. The votes will be counted on March 3.