Tripura Panchayat Polls: 17 BJP candidates file nominations for polls on Aug 8

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and BJP state President Rajib Bhattacharjee accompanied the candidates as they filed their papers

At least 17 BJP candidates filed their nominations today for the West Tripura Zilla Parishad elections to be held as part of the three-tier Panchayat polls on August 8.

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and BJP state President Rajib Bhattacharjee accompanied the candidates as they filed their papers at the office of Vishal Kumar, the District Magistrate and Collector of West Tripura, who is also officiating as the Returning Officer (RO).

The deadline for filing nominations ended at 3 PM today. 17 CPIM candidates and 13 Congress candidates have filed their nominations, DM Kumar said.

The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be carried out on August 19 and the last date of withdrawal is August 22.

The polling will be held between 8 am and 4 pm. There are 14 lakh electors and elections will be held for 591 village panchayats, 16 new panchayats, 116 panchayat samitis, and 8 zila parishads.

Meanwhile, the Tripura High court today dismissed a plea made by the opposition Congress and CPI (M) seeking extension of time for filing nominations and allowing online nomination.

Briefing the media, Advocate Purushottam Roybarman said that the High Court’s division bench comprising Justices Arindam Lodh and Sabyasachi Dutta Purkayastha dismissed the plea for extension of time for filing nomination on the ground that the poll process had already begun and under Article 329 of the Constitution the courts cannot intervene in election matters once the process commences.

Regarding the plea for right to file online nomination, the division bench said that this requires amendment of the Tripura Panchayat Act and election rules.

The High Court has directed the state election commission to conduct the elections in a free and fair manner by providing a level playing field for the opposition. This was in response to complaints of violence made by the petitioners on behalf of the CPI (M) and Congress.

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