Tripura ULB polls: EVM commissioning from November 18; polling on November 27

Preparations for the upcoming Urban Local Body (ULB) elections in Tripura are underway, with the commissioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) scheduled for November 18, 19 and 20, a senior election official said.

Tripura State Election Commission Secretary Anurag Sen said the Commission was making comprehensive arrangements to ensure that polling on November 27 is conducted smoothly and in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Training programmes for Returning Officers and other personnel deployed for election duties are already underway. The Commission is focusing on ensuring that officials are adequately trained to discharge their responsibilities, Sen said.

He added that arrangements were also being made to facilitate voting by election-duty personnel who are registered voters, through a separate mechanism in accordance with established procedures.

Clarifying the use of EVMs, Sen said the machines being deployed for the elections are manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and will not have Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) facilities.

He explained that VVPAT is used with EVMs deployed by the Election Commission of India, while the machines used by State Election Commissions for local body polls do not support the facility.

The Commission is taking all necessary steps to ensure that the November 27 elections are conducted in a transparent, orderly and peaceful manner, Sen added.