Agartala, September 28: Polling for the Village Committee elections in the hill areas of North Tripura was underway peacefully on Monday, with around 60 per cent voter turnout recorded by noon, election officials said.
Voting began at 7 am across the tribal areas, including Balichhara ADC Village under Kalachhara Block, where police and Tripura State Rifles personnel were deployed at polling stations to maintain security and ensure smooth conduct of the electoral process.
Returning Officer Sumit Kumar Das said polling in Balichhara had remained peaceful and no untoward incident was reported till midday. He said voters were turning up in significant numbers to exercise their franchise.
The elections, being held after nearly a decade, have witnessed participation from the BJP, CPI(M), Congress, Tipra Motha and CPI(ML), besides independent candidates.
In Balichhara ADC Village, 25 candidates are contesting seven seats. The Balichhara Higher Basic School has been designated as a polling centre with three booths and has 1,140 registered voters, including 588 men and 552 women.
Voters were seen queuing outside polling stations to cast their ballots as polling officials and security personnel oversaw the process. Voting is being conducted through ballot papers.
State Election Commission Secretary Anurag Sen said around 60 per cent turnout had been recorded across the polling areas by noon and that the commission had not received any report of an untoward incident.
He said voters were participating actively and polling was proceeding in an orderly manner.
The elections are being held for 2,950 contested seats across 587 Village Committees, with 8,176 candidates in the fray. Of the total 4,597 seats, 1,644 had already been filled unopposed, while three seats remained vacant as no nominations were received.
Around 6.65 lakh voters are eligible to cast their ballots in the constituencies where contests are being held.
The previous Village Committee elections were conducted in 2016, while the tenure of the elected bodies ended in March 2021. The subsequent polls were delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and legal complications.
Polling is scheduled to continue until 4 pm. The State Election Commission has made elaborate security arrangements, with central forces, Tripura Police and TSR personnel deployed at polling stations and sensitive locations.
Counting of votes is scheduled for October 5.
