Agartala, Jun 26 (IANS): The Tripura Election Commission here on Wednesday announced that elections to the three-tier panchayats would be held on July 27 and adequate security arrangement would be in place for the conduct of vote.
"Fifty per cent seats in gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads would be reserved for women. Seats would also be reserved for Scheduled Caste and tribals," State Election Commissioner G. Kameswara Rao told IANS after announcing the poll schedule.
The polling would be held for 6,111 seats in 591 gram panchayats, 419 seats in 35 panchayat samitis and 116 seats in 8 zilla parishads. Around 12,03,070 electors, including 5,86,176 women, are eligible to vote.
Rao said with the issuance of the statutory notification on Monday, the filling of nominations would start. The last date of withdrawal of candidatures is July 11. Counting of votes will take place on July 31.
Rao, who was accompanied by Inspector General of Police (Crime Branch) Puneet Rastogi and poll panel Secretary Prasenjit Bhattacharjee, said adequate number of security personnel would be deployed to maintain law and order during the polls.
Rastogi said the state election commission had sought permission from the Union Home Ministry to use 18 battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) before and during the elections. Besides, over 12,000 state security and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF personnel would be deployed during the polling, Rastogi said.
"The NOTA (none of the above) provision would be available in the gram panchayat election," Rao told IANS.
In the July 2014 election, the Communist Party of India-Marxist-led Left Front had secured absolute majority in all gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zilla parishads.
At the all-party meeting, called by the state election commission on Tuesday, opposition parties demanded adequate deployment of security forces for the conduct of free and fair vote.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition parties have already started their electoral activities for the panchayat polls.