A senior official of the Tripura State Election Commission announced on Friday that a combined total of 879 candidates have entered the electoral fray for the urban local body elections scheduled across the state for November 27. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has emerged as the frontrunner by nominating 345 candidates, followed by the CPI-M with 263 nominees and the Congress with 221 candidates. Furthermore, the ruling party ally Tipra Motha Party has fielded 15 contenders, while another 35 individuals are contesting the polls as Independents.
Nomination Timeline And Scrutiny Schedule
The formal nomination window officially concluded on Friday, marking the final deadline for aspirants to submit their candidacy documents. Election officials stated that the official scrutiny of all submitted nomination papers is scheduled for Saturday, and candidates retain the option to withdraw their papers up until November 10. The upcoming elections will encompass 21 urban local bodies distributed across all eight districts of the state, featuring the Agartala Municipal Corporation.
Uncontested Seats And Political Allegations
Meanwhile, the ruling party is poised to secure victories without opposition in five specific municipal bodies as rival political groups failed to file any nomination papers in those areas. These regions include Kamalpur located in Dhalai district, Santir Bazar situated in South Tripura district, along with Ranir Bazar, Jirania, and Mohanpur located in West Tripura district. This lack of rival contenders drew sharp accusations from the CPI-M and Congress, whose representatives claimed that opposition candidates and their proposers faced threats and intimidation from ruling faction supporters to block their entry into the local race.
Voter Demographics And Reservation Breakdown
Electoral authorities noted that a total of 6,29,903 eligible citizens are registered to cast their ballots during the polling process. This voter base comprises 3,21,743 women, 3,08,115 men, and 45 voters identifying as the third gender. Voting will be conducted across 345 total seats spanning the 21 municipal bodies, with 51 of those seats situated within the Agartala Municipal Corporation alone. Among the total available seats, 162 are specifically reserved for women, while 80 seats are designated for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes and nine seats are earmarked for Scheduled Tribes.
Term Endings And Vote Counting Date
The administrative terms for all 21 urban local bodies, including the major Agartala Municipal Corporation, are set to officially conclude on December 9. Following the conclusion of voting on November 27, the official counting of ballots for these local elections will take place on December 2.
