AGARTALA, July 10 (TIWN): All 35 election observers appointed by the State Election Commission for the coming three tier panchayat election have reached concerned duty stations by Thursday morning. All 165 special sector officers appointed for the election process were deployed and all eighteen thousand poll personnel are currently receiving the last phase of mock poll training across the state.

State Election Commissioner Yatendra Kumar, District Magistrate (West) Abhisek Singh, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) Manik Lal Das and others attended a mock poll training session of poll personnel from the West Tripura district at Agartala Town Hall in Agartala.

Addressing the session, Kumar urged all poll personnel to stick to the regulations of code of conduct of election and the guidelines laid out in the Tripura Panchayat Act. The State Election Commissioner laid utmost stress on free and fair election and said that no voter should be barred of his democratic right to cast vote. He appealed all poll personnel to honour and uphold the oath of secrecy that would be sworn by them upon assuming charge in concerned polling stations.

No security person would be allowed inside the polling station or the counting halls unless their presence was felt inside by the Presiding Officer or the person in charge. Polling agents would need to countersign the entry register this year as an additional measure of security to boost confidence amongst the voters. Approximately 12 thousand police and TSR jawans would be handling the security of polling stations, counting halls beside foot patrolling and mobile patrols. Jawans of additional 17 companies from the BSF, who were released to the state government following repeated pursuits for central forces in the Tripura panchayat election, would be deployed for area domination and law and order check.

The State Election Commissioner further said that three layer security would be maintained outside the polling stations and counting halls. The inner layer would have all armed personnel. The SEC chief earlier said that out of 2,615 polling stations in the state slated to be used for the panchayat election,  800 would be given category A security; 1,788 polling stations would be given category B security. The high security polling stations would have mobile police teams, constant vigil and videography by special sector officers, foot patrolling and micro observers.