AGARTALA, September 3 (TIWN): Poll personnel appointed for by-election at 39 Manu assembly constituency were engaged in the first phase of mock poll drills. The authorities are currently engaged in commissioning Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) for the polls, Chief Electoral Officer Ashutosh Jindal said today.

Speaking to reporters this evening, CEO Ashutosh Jindal said that the first mock poll exercise held at Sabroom Town Hall on Tuesday had 290 poll personnel among the participants. The process involved training for administering polling process, instructions of EVM sealing through video learning tools etc.

The EVMs are expected to be commissioned on September 06, the CEO said. He further said that both observers appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to oversee the by-election process, are currently stationed at the constituency.

General observer Sherring Wangchuk, an IAS officer from Jammu & Kashmir cadre and expenditure observer Gopesh Chandra Das has been camping in the constituency since the last few days, the CEO said. An official communiqué from the state election authority said later this evening that sector officials from six sectors of the constituency spoke at the mock poll training exercise to sensitive poll personnel on aspects of handling media, polling process etc.

Polling would be held in 46 polling booths across 38 locations on September 13 for re-election of a legislator from the constituency after sitting MLA and former minister for industries and commerce Jitendra Chaudhury resigned from the assembly earlier this year. He was elected as Member of the Parliament from the East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency.