Election Commission to visit three northeastern states next week

AGARTALA: An Election Commission (EC) team led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AK Jyoti will visit three northeastern states -- Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya -- next week to review the poll preparedness, an official said here on Friday.

"Assembly elections are due in February next year in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya. The EC team would visit the three northeastern states next week to review the poll preparedness," an official of the Tripura election department said.

He said that the CEC accompanied by Election Commissioners Om Prakash Rawat and Sunil Arora, Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain along with other EC officials would arrive here on November 28 from Nagaland. From Tripura, they are likely to visit Meghalaya.

"During its visit, the Commission would hold a series of meetings with the police, district and state election officials besides high-ups and leaders of various political parties," the official added.

The five-year term of the assemblies in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, with 60 seats each, would expire on March 6, 13, and 14, respectively.

The Left Front rules in Tripura, Congress holds power in Meghalaya, while the Naga People`s Front-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland rules in Nagaland. The Democratic Alliance is supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A four-member EC team led by Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain had visited Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya last week and held a series of meetings with the leaders of various political parties and asked them to make all preparations in place for the next assembly polls.

The Election Commission on November 13 held a meeting in New Delhi with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland to take stock of preparations for the February 2018 assembly elections in these states.

"EC officials have apprised the three CEOs on the use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines at all polling stations in these states. Effectiveness of booth-level officers in the states was also discussed," the official said refusing to be named.