Reported by Mrinal Kanti Banik
Agartala: Around 6.65 lakh voters are eligible to vote on Monday in the Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). Polling will be held at 1,095 stations across 44 blocks, with extensive security arrangements in place.
The elections are being conducted for 2,950 seats across 587 Village Committees. Of the total 4,597 seats, 1,644 have been filled unopposed, while three seats received no nominations. As many as 8,176 candidates are contesting the seats where polling is required.
The polls mark the return of elected Village Committees after nearly a decade. The previous elections were held in 2016, while the tenure of the committees ended in March 2021. The State Election Commission had attributed the delay to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent legal issues. Polling is scheduled for September 28, with counting set for October 5.
The SEC has deployed 74 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) for the elections. Security personnel have been conducting area-domination exercises and patrolling, particularly in sensitive areas. State police and Tripura State Rifles personnel have also been deployed to assist with security and the movement of polling teams and election materials.
Polling teams began travelling to their assigned stations on Sunday under security cover. Sector officers have been instructed to oversee the safe movement of personnel, ballot boxes and ballot papers. After voting concludes, election materials will be sealed according to prescribed procedures and deposited at designated receiving centres.
Unlike elections conducted using electronic voting machines, the Village Committee polls will be held using ballot papers. The SEC has also arranged strong rooms and counting facilities at the block level.
The final electoral roll for all Village Committee constituencies lists 9,61,977 voters, comprising 4,82,041 men, 4,79,930 women and six third-gender voters. However, only those in constituencies where contests are taking place around 6.65 lakh electors will vote on September 28.
The election campaign has involved the ruling BJP, Tipra Motha Party and IPFT, along with opposition parties such as the CPI(M) and Congress. Campaign issues have included tribal rights, grassroots governance and development, as well as demands for greater autonomy and implementation of the Tiprasa Accord.
The SEC has urged political parties, candidates and voters to maintain peace and cooperate with election officials to ensure orderly polling.
Monday’s voting will determine the composition of the Village Committees, which serve as grassroots-level local governance bodies in the TTAADC areas, following the prolonged gap since the previous elections.