The long-awaited elections to 587 Village Committees (VCs) under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be held on September 28, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced on Monday.

The counting of votes will begin at 7:00 AM on October 5, with the entire election process scheduled to be completed by October 8.

Announcing the poll schedule at a press conference, State Election Commissioner PK Chakraborty, accompanied by SEC Secretary Anurag Sen and DGP-in-Charge GS Rao, said the elected Village Committees had completed their five-year term on March 8, 2021.

The SEC had initiated preparations for the elections in 2022, including preliminary work related to electoral authorities, polling stations and electoral rolls. However, the exercise was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent legal complications.

According to the SEC, polling will be conducted across 587 Village Committees, covering 2,634 constituencies and 4,597 seats.

The election notification will be issued on September 1. Candidates can file their nominations until September 8, while scrutiny will take place on September 9. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is September 11.

To oversee the election process, District Magistrates and Collectors of all eight districts have been appointed as District Election Officers (DEOs). The Block Development Officers (BDOs) of 52 RD Blocks will serve as Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).

The SEC has also appointed 231 Assistant Returning Officers and 373 Sector Officers, while around 8,500 polling personnel are expected to be deployed. Election Observers will be assigned to all poll-bound blocks to monitor the proceedings.

The final electoral rolls contain 9,61,977 voters, including 4,82,041 male, 4,79,930 female and six third-gender electors. A total of 1,550 polling stations have been identified.

Voting will be conducted through ballot boxes, including Godrej and Bungo-type boxes, to maintain secrecy. Counting centres will be established at Block Headquarters or other suitable locations after approval from the State Election Commissioner.

The SEC said consultations had been held with representatives of recognised national and state political parties during the preparation of electoral rolls and finalisation of polling stations.

Security arrangements have also been reviewed with the police administration, with adequate deployment planned across sensitive and poll-bound areas to ensure peaceful voting.

With the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force immediately across the Village Committee areas going to polls under the TTAADC.

The SEC expressed confidence that the extensive preparations, deployment of election personnel and security arrangements would facilitate a free, fair and peaceful election after a prolonged gap.