Agartala, August 24: The Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) is planning to convene an all-party meeting in the coming days ahead of the village committee elections, scheduled to be held in September in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.
The elections to the Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) are slated to be conducted in a single phase on September 27. The SEC has stepped up preparations to ensure the polls are conducted smoothly and in accordance with the prescribed electoral procedures.
As part of the preparations, the Commission on Monday organised a workshop for Block Development Officers (BDOs) and Additional BDOs who are expected to be designated as Returning Officers for the elections. A total of 52 BDOs and Additional BDOs participated in the workshop.
State Election Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Chakravarty said the Commission was undertaking all necessary preparatory exercises ahead of the polls. The workshop was organised to familiarise the officials with various rules and regulations governing the election process.
“The village committee elections are in the offing. All preparatory exercises are underway to ensure that the polls are conducted effectively,” Chakravarty said.
He said the Returning Officers were briefed on several key aspects of election management, including the enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct, nomination-related procedures, counting arrangements and other responsibilities associated with conducting the polls.
The SEC is also preparing to engage with political parties ahead of the elections. Responding to a question on the proposed all-party meeting, Chakravarty said the meeting would be convened shortly and was likely to take place within the next few days.
The meeting is expected to provide an opportunity for political parties to raise concerns, seek clarifications and discuss issues related to the conduct of the elections.
Law-and-order preparedness is another major focus of the Commission. SEC officials said separate meetings would be held in coordination with the Tripura Police to assess potential security risks and identify sensitive and hyper-sensitive areas.
Based on the assessment and suggestions received from various stakeholders, a multi-layered security arrangement will be prepared to ensure peaceful polling across the tribal areas.
The village committee elections are being closely watched due to their political significance in the TTAADC region. With the polling date approaching, the SEC’s administrative and security preparations are expected to intensify further in the coming weeks.
The proposed all-party meeting is likely to be an important step towards ensuring coordination among political stakeholders and strengthening confidence in the electoral process.
