Notification for Tripura Assembly polls issued

The Election Commission today issued a notification for the Tripura Assembly polls to be held on February 18.
Counting of votes will be held on March 3 and the entire process of election will be completed by March 5.
EVMs and Voter-verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) will be used in all the polling stations.
The term of the 60-member Assembly ends on March 14.
Of the 60 seats, ten constituencies are reserved for SC candidates and 20 reserved for ST contestants.
There will be 3,214 polling stations, which is a 5.6 per cent increase from the last Assembly elections held in 2013.

Voter slips bearing the photo of the electors will be distributed at least seven days before the polling.

The state has covered hundred per cent of the electorate with photo identity card (EPIC).
A total of 25,69,216 people are eligible to exercise their franchise in the Assembly poll.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer Tapas Ray said all the 19 expenditure observers have arrived in the state to examine the expenses incurred by the political parties.
Altogether 300 companies of security forces would be deployed in the poll-bound state for smooth conduct of the elections.
Seventy-five companies (approximately 7,500 personnel) of the central forces have already been deployed in different parts of the state, he said.

Three static surveillance teams comprising a magistrate, a police officer, an income tax officer and an excise and duties officer would be working in each constituency to keep a watch on illegal distribution of liquor, money and other illegal activities on or before the elections.