Gournagar Block in Kailashahar is poised to become the only block in Tripura where every seat will be contested in the upcoming August 8 three-tier Panchayat elections. Among the 58 blocks in Tripura, Gournagar Block in Unakoti district stands out as the sole block where elections will be held for every seat and no seats won unopposed.
Speaking about the details of forthcoming polls, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Gournagar Block, Pranay Das on Friday provided a comprehensive overview of the electoral landscape in the block.
“Gournagar Block comprises 20 Gram Panchayats and thirteen seats in the Gournagar Panchayat Samiti,” BDO Das explained. “The total electorate here numbers 43,015, including 21,851 male voters and 21,164 female voters.”
A total of 206 seats will be contested across the 20 Gram Panchayats, with 477 nominations filed by various political parties. The breakdown of nominations is as follows: 206 from the BJP, 81 from the CPIM, 161 from the Congress, 10 from the Tipra Motha, and 19 from independent candidates. All nominations have been validated, as confirmed by BDO Das.
In the 13-seat Gournagar Panchayat Samiti, 37 nominations were submitted. These included thirteen from the BJP, seven from the CPIM, nine from the Congress, four from the Tipra Motha, and four from independent candidates. These nominations were also validated.
“The submission and scrutiny of nomination papers were conducted smoothly without any untoward incidents,” BDO Das commented. “As of the evening of July 26, there have been no reports of political violence or complaints in the Gournagar Block area. Interestingly, none of the nominations were withdrawn.”
Additionally, four seats fall under the Unakoti District Council within Gournagar Block. To ensure a peaceful voting process, five companies of paramilitary forces have already been deployed in the area, providing an added layer of security for the elections.
The high level of participation and smooth conduct of the nomination process in Gournagar Block sets a commendable example for the entire state where the ruling BJP has already won 4806 seats unopposed out of a total 6909 seats.
