Tripura civic polls on December 9

The election to 20 civic bodies in Tripura would be held on December 9, the state election commission announced here on Thursday.

State Election Commissioner G. Kameswara Rao told the media that the election to the 49-seat Agartala Municipal Corporation, and 13 municipal councils and six nagar panchayats would be held on December 9.

He said by-elections to some gram panchayat and panchayat samities would also be held on the same day.

"Electronic Voting Machines would also be used to conduct the elections in the municipal bodies while old Bungo and Godrej type ballot boxes would be used for the by-polls to the gram panchayats and panchayat samities," said Rao, who was earlier the chief secretary of Tripura.

He said in all 537,968 voters, including 268,754 females, are eligible to cast their votes in the municipal elections.

The 144-year-old Agartala Municipal Corporation is the oldest municipal body in the northeastern region, which comprises of eight states.

The Agartala municipality, which turned into a corporation two years back, was constituted in 1871 during the reign of erstwhile king Maharaja Chandra Manikya (1862-96 AD).