Agartala, April 8 (IANS): The Election Commission on Monday launched the "Mission Violence Free Election 2024" in Tripura to ensure a 100 per cent violence-free election.

Launching the initiative, Chief Secretary Jitendra Kumar Sinha said that ahead of the elections to the state's two Lok Sabha seats, 2,500 flag marches and area domination patrolling were conducted by the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and the state forces since last month.

He said that various law enforcement agencies have seized various contraband items worth Rs 9 crore during the past month.

State Chief Electoral Officer Puneet Agarwal said that in the previous Lok Sabha elections, 83 per cent voting was recorded and in the 18th Lok Sabha polls, the target is to exceed the 2019 turnout.

He said that the 'Home Voting' for the elderly and otherwise abled voters would start on April 10.

Election officials said that to achieve the "Mission Violence Free Election 2024", an eight-point strategy plan was drawn up by the authorities.

The strategies include flag and road marches by the CAPF will go on to ensure confidence building among the political workers for campaigning and among the citizens to cast their votes freely without any fear, deployment of the security forces well before the poll process so that they get familiar with the locality, setting up adequate nakas (checkposts) to monitor the illegal movement of arms, and persons to vitiate the poll process.

The other measures included deterrent measures like web-casting of the poll process etc. in compliance with the Election Commission’s instruction relating to multiple civil measures and deployment of adequate security personnel.

Director General of Tripura Police Amitabh Ranjan, Home Secretary Pradip Kumar Chakraborty, state police nodal officer G.S. Rao, top officials of CAPF, and District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of all eight districts were present at the event.