Tripura’s three-tier panchayat polls to take place on August 8, State Election Commissioner decides

The State Election Commissioner of Tripura, Saradindu Chowdhury, announced that the election for the three-tier Panchayat system in Tripura will take place on August 8 across 2,650 polling stations. Addressing a press conference, Chowdhury detailed the electoral arrangements and security measures ahead of the polls. Chowdhury stated that the current tenure of the three-tier Panchayat will conclude on August 4, with preparations already underway for the upcoming elections. He outlined the electoral structure, revealing a total of 6,370 seats distributed across 3,517 constituencies. This includes 606 Gram Panchayats, 35 Panchayat Samities with 423 constituencies, and 8 Zila Parishads encompassing 116 constituencies. “We have published the final electoral roll with a total of 12,94,153 voters, including 6,58,445 males, 6,35,597 females, and 11 others,” he informed.

According to the SEC, the election process timeline includes the issuance of notifications on July 11, the last date for nominations on July 18, scrutiny on July 19, and the withdrawal of candidature by July 22. Voting will occur on August 8, with counting scheduled for August 12 and the completion of the electoral process by August 17. Security arrangements have been meticulously planned, following Election Commission of India guidelines, with Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) mandated for voter identification. Two types of ballot boxes—Godrej or Bungo type—will be used, distinguished by white for GP seats, pink for PS seats, and green for ZP seats.

To ensure fair conduct, the Commission has engaged with District Election Officers and Returning Officers, conducting meetings with political party representatives to address election-related concerns. Further discussions are planned to finalize arrangements.Inspector General of Tripura Police, L. Darlong, assured adequate security measures, stating, “Eighteen companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) will be deployed along with Tripura State Rifles to maintain law and order during the polls.” Meetings with the Police Administration have been held to review security preparedness and preventive measures.

By Sonakshi Sarkar

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