Agartala, Oct 29 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday revised the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Tripura for the second time, in view of the upcoming general elections to 21 urban local bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC), officials said.
Earlier, the ECI had rescheduled the SIR exercise in the state in view of the September 28 Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
A senior official of the Election Department said that, with January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for the revision of electoral rolls in Tripura, the SIR exercise, which was earlier scheduled to commence on October 27, would now begin on December 15.
According to the revised schedule issued by the ECI, the month-long house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will begin on December 26 and continue until January 25, 2027.
The draft electoral rolls will be published on February 1, 2027, the official said.
Following the publication of the draft rolls, electors will be given an opportunity to file claims and objections.
After the claims and objections are examined and disposed of, the final electoral rolls will be published on April 7, 2027.
The latest revision of the schedule comes as the state prepares for elections to 21 urban local bodies, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation, with the State Election Commission (SEC) initiating the process for conducting the civic polls.
Tripura Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Brijesh Panday had earlier announced that the SIR of electoral rolls covering all 60 Assembly constituencies in the state was scheduled to commence on September 5 and conclude with the final publication of the electoral rolls on December 23.
However, the ECI subsequently rescheduled the exercise in view of the September 28 Village Committee elections in the state’s tribal areas, which account for around 70 per cent of Tripura’s total geographical area.
The latest decision to defer the SIR process further is aimed at accommodating the preparations for the forthcoming urban local body elections, officials said.
Tripura currently has 28.97 lakh electors, including 14.52 lakh male and 14.45 lakh female voters, according to official figures.
The state has a total of 3,356 polling stations spread across its 60 Assembly constituencies.
Panday had earlier said that, to ensure the smooth and effective conduct of the SIR exercise, 3,356 Booth Level Officers and 375 BLO Supervisors had been engaged for the state’s 3,356 polling stations.
The BLOs will play a key role in the revision exercise, including conducting house-to-house visits and verifying electoral details as part of the process of updating the voters’ lists.
Meanwhile, the State Election Commission (SEC) has initiated preparations for holding elections to 21 urban local bodies across Tripura, including the Agartala Municipal Corporation.
A senior SEC official said here on Thursday that the commission would announce the election schedule for the 21 urban local bodies shortly.
–IANS
sc/khz
