Agartala, March 19: Echoing the CPM, all major political parties in Tripura have demanded a rollback of the Election Commission’s ban on the use of school grounds for rallies.

The demand was unanimously raised by leaders of all five parties that attended the all-party meeting convened by the election department here this morning.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ratanlal Nath and The Indigenous Peoples’ Front of Tripura (IPFT) president Narendra Debbarma today demanded a review of the ban, considering Tripura’s terrain and lack of flat grounds for holding large rallies. “If the ban is not lifted, we will be at sea in organising rallies, because only 12 of the state’s 17 sub-divisional towns have enough flat land for large rallies,” Nath said.

The leaders said organising rallies on paddy fields would not be possible. “The paddy fields are full of crops and the lands have been irrigated. So, where will we organise rallies?” he asked.

They, however, said in compliance with the “spirit of the Election Commission’s ban order” academic work would remain unaffected even if rallies were held on school grounds, because they would be organised after scheduled school hours or on holidays.

Chief electoral officer Sanjib Ranjan, who had convened the meeting, assured the leaders of the five parties that the issue has already been taken up with the poll panel. “The issue has been brought to the notice of the Election Commission and we are awaiting an appropriate decision; you are certainly well aware that the Election Commission is the highest authority on all such issues,” he said.

The issue of security cover for the polls was being considered by the Election Commission and the Union home ministry, he said, and there would be no dearth of security personnel.

Releasing the figures of the final electoral roll, additional chief electoral officer Dilip Acharjee said for the April 23 polls in Tripura, the total electorate would be 20,79,810 out of which 10,63,983 are male.