Tripura: 10 Municipalities to go for Polls on December 22

Guwahati: The Tripura State Election Commission on Friday announced that elections in 10 municipalities will be held on December 22.

Along with the election to the 10 municipalities, by-elections will also be held for vacant seats in five other urban local bodies including the Agartala Municipal Corporation on December 22.

Addressing a Press conference in Agartala, Tripura State Election Commissioner, G Kameswar Rao said that "the state government has dissolved 10 municipalities due to certain grounds by issuing a gazette notification. Apart from this, there are also other casual vacancies in five municipal bodies which were caused due to resignation and other reasons."

Ballot papers would be used in the municipal election and by-elections instead of EVMs as the Election Commission of India has declined to give Electronic Voting Machines for the polls, he said.

Rao also informed that the notification for the election to the 10 municipalities and by-polls in five urban local bodies would be issued by the State Election Commission on November 26 between 7-00 AM and 4-00 PM

He also further informed that the last date of filing nomination is December 4, the date for scrutiny of nomination is on December 5 and the withdrawal is on December 7. The counting of votes would be held on December 26 from 8 in the morning.

It was also informed in the Press Conference that a series of meetings were held with different political parties and police officials before announcing the dates of the poll process. Additional Director General of Police Rajeev Singh said all necessary arrangements are being done to provide proper security during the municipal elections. Tripura at present has 20 urban local bodies.

There are altogether 1,70,340 voters in the poll-bound 158 wards across Agartala Municipal Corporation and municipal bodies. Of the total electorate, 85,153 are males and 85,187 are females. The by-elections have been necessitated because of the forced resignation of councillors and commissioners owing allegiance to the left front, now in opposition, after the assembly elections held in February this year which led to the emergence of BJP-IPFT coalition government in the state

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