Agartala, September 27: The Tripura State Election Commission has completed administrative and security preparations for Monday’s Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), with over 6.65 lakh voters eligible to cast their ballots.
The commission said elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure that polling is conducted in a free, peaceful and transparent manner and appealed to voters to exercise their franchise without fear.
Elections are being held in 587 Village Committees for 2,950 seats, while 1,644 seats have been declared uncontested. No nominations were received for three seats, the SEC said.
A total of 8,176 candidates representing different political parties are contesting the seats where polling is required.
Polling will be conducted at 1,095 stations from among 1,550 identified polling stations across the TTAADC areas.
Four categories of ballot papers, identified by colours — white, light pink, light green and light blue — will be used according to the type of seats, officials said.
Security has been strengthened across the state, with 74 companies of Central Armed Police Forces deployed for the elections.
Besides the central forces, 8,977 personnel from the state police and Tripura State Rifles have been deployed at designated locations. The SEC said around 1,500 security officers have been entrusted with monitoring law-and-order arrangements during the polling process.
Additional security measures have been put in place at polling stations identified as sensitive, with Central Armed Police Force personnel deployed at such locations.
For conducting the polling, around 7,458 personnel have been divided into 1,243 teams. Polling officials began moving towards their assigned stations on Sunday and most teams had reached their destinations by the evening.
After voting ends on Monday, polling teams will return to the respective Returning Officer offices carrying the sealed ballot boxes, the commission said.
The SEC said polling personnel were provided training and oriented on the Standard Operating Procedure to ensure that they are familiar with the procedures and can conduct polling smoothly.
Counting centres have been identified across the state, and the appointment of counting supervisors and assistants is underway.
The commission said counting personnel would be trained within the prescribed schedule before the counting process begins.
The SEC appealed to voters and all stakeholders to cooperate with election authorities and maintain peace and order throughout polling.
