Ambassa, Seo 27 (TIWN): With the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) Village Committee elections scheduled for Monday, polling personnel began leaving for their designated polling stations across the state on Sunday.

The election is being held after a gap of around 10 years, with the previous Village Committee elections held in 2016. The Village Committees’ previous terms ended in March 2021. The 2026 election will cover 587 Village Committees, 2,634 constituencies and 4,597 seats across the TTAADC areas. A total of 9,61,977 voters are eligible to cast their votes at 1,550 polling stations.

Voting will be conducted through ballot papers instead of EVMs. Polling is scheduled from 7 am to 4 pm on September 28, while counting of votes will begin on October 5.

Village Committees play an important role in grassroots administration in the TTAADC areas. Their responsibilities include supporting local development schemes and dealing with matters such as village roads, sanitation, drinking-water facilities, public health measures and other local community needs.

In Ambassa RD Block, a total of 41 polling stations have been arranged for the election. Polling personnel began moving towards their respective centres from Sunday morning amid security arrangements.

Speaking about the preparations, Ambassa RD Block BDO and Returning Officer Barnita Biswas said that arrangements were being closely monitored to prevent any untoward incident during the election. She said polling personnel were being sent to their designated stations within the scheduled time.

She also appealed to voters to maintain peace and exercise their democratic right in a calm and orderly manner.

For many young voters in the TTAADC areas, the election will also be their first opportunity to cast a vote through a traditional ballot paper, adding to the interest surrounding Monday’s polling.