9,820 candidates remain in fray for Tripura Village Committee polls after 1,069 withdrawals

A total of 9,820 candidates will contest the upcoming Tripura Village Committee elections after 1,069 candidates withdrew their nominations on September 11, according to data released by the State Election Commission.

The Tipra Motha Party (TMP) has the highest number of candidates in the final list with 4,279, followed by the BJP with 1,853 and the CPI(M) with 151 candidates.

The Congress has 254 candidates in the fray, while the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) has 56 candidates. The CPI has fielded three candidates, while 753 candidates are contesting under other parties or as independents.

According to the SEC, 1,069 candidates withdrew their candidature on the final day for withdrawal. Of these, 105 were from the BJP, 302 from the CPI(M), 39 from the Congress, 12 from the IPFT, 80 from the TMP and one from the CPI. Another 414 candidates belonged to other parties or were independents.

The elections will be held on September 28, while counting of votes is scheduled for October 5.

The polling will cover 587 Village Committees, comprising 2,634 constituencies and 4,597 seats.

10,889 nominations found valid after scrutiny

The nomination process began on September 1, with September 8 being the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny was conducted on September 9, followed by the withdrawal process, which concluded on September 11.

The SEC had earlier received 10,958 nomination papers from 10,936 candidates. Following scrutiny, 10,889 nominations filed by 10,889 candidates were declared valid.

Before the withdrawal deadline, the party-wise breakdown of valid candidates stood at 1,971 for the BJP, 2,456 for the CPI(M), 465 for the Congress, 483 for the IPFT and 4,361 for the TMP. The CPI had four candidates, while 1,149 candidates were listed under other parties and independents.

With 1,069 candidates withdrawing their nominations, the final contesting field has now been reduced to 9,820 candidates.

The Village Committee elections are being closely watched as a significant local-level political contest in Tripura, with major political parties and regional forces seeking to strengthen their organisational presence across the state's rural and tribal areas.