The Office of the State Election Commission has commenced preparations for conducting the Three-tier Panchayat elections in the state by initiating the process of compiling the voter list and finalizing polling stations.

Addressing reporters, Saradindu Chaudhuri, IAS (Retd.), State Election Commissioner, stated that according to the law, the Three-tier Panchayat elections were scheduled to be held in the last week of July. 

“Meanwhile, we have undertaken all the necessary preparations for compiling the voter list and identifying polling stations. We believe that if we can complete our work in a timely manner, we will submit a proposal to the state government for holding the elections,” Chaudhuri remarked.

“Now, the stance of the state government is crucial. We have also completed the demarcation of gram panchayats and other necessary procedures as per the law. The Block Development Officers have assumed their responsibilities and conducted a review meeting on the matter. We are optimistic that this work will be completed by June,” he added.

Chaudhuri further informed that last year, there were 591 Gram Panchayats, and the Department of Panchayat has indicated the addition of approximately 16 new Gram Panchayats to the list, along with 116 seats in the Panchayat Samiti and 8 Zila Parishad. The Gram Panchayats will have 6011 seats, Panchayat Samiti 419 seats, and Zila Parishad 116 seats.

According to the notification, the draft voter list will be published on June 6, 2024. Claims and objections will be accepted from June 13, 2024. The period for raising claims and objections will be from June 14 to 18, 2024. The final voter list will be published on June 24, 2024. The electoral roll will be prepared based on the age as of January 1, 2024.

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