Agartala, Oct 8 (IANS) The State Election Commission (SEC) in Tripura has initiated the process for holding elections to 21 urban local bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation, top officials said here on Thursday.
Tripura State Election Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Chakraborty held the first preparatory meeting with the Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Rao and senior civil and police officials and advised them to take all necessary steps to ensure that the elections to the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are conducted smoothly and transparently.
Chakraborty, after the meeting, said that the terms of the 21 ULBs, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation, will end on December 9. He said that Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Manchak Ipper, District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police of all eight districts, besides senior civil and security officials, were present at the meeting held at the State Guest House.
The SEC said that ahead of the upcoming elections to the municipal and Nagar Panchayat areas, the Urban Development Department has released the final list of polling stations. The final list comprises 783 polling stations covering the Agartala Municipal Corporation, 13 Municipal Councils and seven Nagar Panchayats.
After finalisation of claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls by October 8, the final electoral rolls will be published on October 15, the SEC said.
DGP G.S. Rao indicated that Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel would not be deployed for the ULB polls and that the state police and Tripura State Rifles (TSR) would be deployed adequately to conduct the local body elections freely and fairly.
Around nine lakh people reside in the 21 urban local bodies spread across eight districts. Of the total population, more than four lakh people reside in the Agartala Municipal Corporation areas.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP, the main opposition CPI (M)-led Left parties and the Congress have already started their pre-poll activities, including the selection of candidates.
