Tripura municipal elections on November 27, counting on December 2; over 6.29 lakh voters eligible

Tripura will hold elections to 21 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) on November 27, with counting scheduled for December 2, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced on October 30.

A total of 6,29,903 voters, including 3,08,115 men, 3,21,743 women and 45 third-gender electors, are eligible to cast their votes across 345 municipal constituencies in the state.

State Election Commissioner P K Chakraborty, addressing a press conference alongside DGP (in-charge) G S Rao and SEC Secretary Anurag Sen, said the entire election process is scheduled to be completed by December 4. The terms of the existing urban local bodies are due to expire on December 9, 2026.

According to the schedule, the election notification will be issued on October 30. The last date for filing nominations is November 6, followed by scrutiny on November 7. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until November 10.

Polling will be held from 7 am to 4 pm on November 27, while counting will begin at 8 am on December 2.

The elections will cover 21 municipalities with 345 constituencies. Of these, nine are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, 80 for Scheduled Castes and 256 are unreserved. A total of 162 constituencies have been reserved for women.

The SEC has finalised 783 polling stations for the elections. Electoral rolls covering all these polling stations have been prepared and published after the completion of the prescribed process.

For election management, District Magistrates and Collectors of all eight districts have been appointed as District Municipal Election Officers. Sub-Divisional Magistrates from 17 subdivisions have been appointed as Returning Officers. The Commission has also appointed 23 Returning Officers and 81 Assistant Returning Officers.

A total of 23 counting halls will be set up at designated centres across the subdivisions under the supervision of the respective Returning Officers.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), supplied by Bharat Electronics Limited with the approval of the Election Commission of India, will be used. The First Level Checking of the machines has been completed, while commissioning will take place after the list of contesting candidates is finalised.

The Commission said adequate security arrangements were being made to ensure free, fair and peaceful polling. It has held meetings with police and other authorities to review the law-and-order situation and assess security requirements.

Videography will be conducted during key stages of the election process, including the commissioning of EVMs, filing and scrutiny of nominations, withdrawal of candidature and counting.

The SEC had also held a meeting with recognised national and state political parties on October 14 to seek their suggestions and cooperation. The parties assured the Commission of their support for the smooth conduct of the polls.

The previous general election to Tripura's Urban Local Bodies was held in 2021, covering 20 municipalities and 334 constituencies, with 770 polling stations. The elections had been delayed after the municipal bodies' terms expired on December 18, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.