Agartala, March 17 The State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Tuesday that the elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be held on April 13.
State Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar said at a press conference here that voting for the 28 seats of the TTAADC will be held on April 13, while counting will take place on April 17.
The notification for the elections will be issued on March 18, Kumar said.
The SEC said that the last date for filing nominations will be March 25, while scrutiny will be done on March 26, and the last date for withdrawing nomination papers is March 28.
"The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into effect from today in the areas of the tribal council where elections are taking place. I urge the political parties to adhere to the MCC to ensure free, fair, and peaceful elections," he said.
The current term of the tribal council is scheduled to end on April 18.
The ruling Tipra Motha Party (TMP) has 19 members in the tribal council, while the BJP has 9 members and two members were nominated by the Governor.
Kumar said that all necessary arrangements have been made to conduct the elections to the tribal council, and additional forces will be deployed for peaceful elections.
Director General of Police (DGP), Anurag, said that tight security arrangements will be made at the polling booths so that voters can cast their votes without fear or intimidation.
"The police have already categorized all 1,257 polling booths from a security standpoint. Out of the total booths, 311 booths have been identified as having a high criticality index (A), 693 booths as a security threat perception (B), and 253 are normal," he said.
The DGP said that around 11,000 police, TSR, and CRPF personnel will be engaged in security-related duties to ensure peace during the entire election process.
He said that the BSF will intensify its vigil along the international border with Bangladesh to prevent any cross-border movement.