State panel ready for panchayat polls

The State Election Commission (SEC) is gearing up for holding a free and fair panchayat polls in the state as the Gauhati High Court has cleared the decks.

According to information, the poll notification will be issued on November 29 and the model code of conduct will come into force.

The authority has already issued strict instructions to the district administrations for necessary arrangement to make the polls a free and fair.

The state poll panel will hold the election in three phases and the results are expected before January 15. But sources here say the voters will have to go with ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the polls.

The polls will elect as many as 242 zila parishad council (ZPC) members, 2,199 gaon panchayat (GP) presidents, 2,199 anchalic panchayat (AP) members and 21,990 gaon panchayat members.