Guwahati: The entire Election Commission bench is expected to visit Tripura for two days beginning on January 11 of the next year to assess readiness for the state assembly elections scheduled for early 2023.
The ECI team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar will meet with leaders of political parties and assess the security preparations for the 60-member assembly elections during its visit to the northeastern state.
During the visit, the EC team will have meetings with poll officials and the chief secretary and will also “check the revised electoral rolls and other preparations for conducting free and fair elections”, Tripura Chief Electoral Officer Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao said.
The final electoral rolls for the assembly polls will be published on January 5 next year, the CEO said.
The EC team will also hold a “separate meeting on security arrangements with the superintendents of police of all the eight districts of Tripura in the presence of DGP and IGP”, he said. Altogether 100 companies of central paramilitary forces have been sanctioned to ensure adequate security in the run-up to the elections in the northeastern state. Several companies of central forces have already arrived here, and a process of deploying them in districts has been initiated, the official said.
“The EC team will also have meetings with representatives of political parties and will seek their suggestions for free and fair elections,” the CEO said.
The EC delegation is due to depart the state for Shillong in Meghalaya on January 13 to assess that region’s election readiness.