Agartala, September 27: Polling personnel began moving to their designated stations across Tripura on Sunday as the state geared up for the Village Committee elections, being held after a gap of a decade.
The movement of polling teams from dispatch centres was accompanied by security arrangements as officials prepared for Monday’s voting in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
In Ambassa RD Block of Dhalai district, polling personnel started leaving their dispatch centres from around 8 am for the 41 polling stations set up in the block.
Officials said the teams were instructed to reach their respective stations well in advance and complete all preparations before polling begins.
Returning Officer and Block Development Officer Barnita Biswas said the administration had made arrangements to facilitate the safe movement of polling personnel and ensure that voting is conducted peacefully.
“We have made all necessary arrangements to ensure that polling personnel reach their respective stations safely and that polling is conducted peacefully,” Biswas told reporters.
She appealed to voters to participate in the election without fear and urged them to maintain peace and discipline during polling.
The deployment of polling teams marks the final phase of preparations for an election that has assumed significance because of the 10-year gap since the previous Village Committee polls.
Unlike elections conducted using electronic voting machines, the Village Committee elections will be held through ballot papers. The system is expected to be particularly significant for younger voters in the ADC areas who will be casting their ballots through the traditional method.
The administration has put in place security measures along the routes used by polling teams and at the polling stations to minimise the possibility of disruption.
The movement of personnel and election materials continued across different parts of the state throughout the day, with officials overseeing the dispatch process and ensuring that teams proceeded according to schedule.
The elections cover Village Committees under the TTAADC and are being conducted amid heightened political activity in the tribal council areas.
Political parties have been campaigning and holding organisational programmes in the run-up to polling.
With polling scheduled for Monday, officials said the focus was now on ensuring that all polling stations were fully prepared and that voters could exercise their franchise in a peaceful environment.
For residents of the ADC areas, the election marks the return of a grassroots electoral exercise after a prolonged interval.
