KHOWAI, April 21 (TIWN): Around 35 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security personnel have been deployed to guard 75 electronic voting machines (EVMs) at Khowai district in which the votes of the upcoming Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections will be casted on May 3.Security in and around respective district returning officers have been further beefed up at Halahali, Asharam Bari and Ramchandraghat. Election Commission of India has send 75 electronic voting machines (EVMs) to the Khowai district returning officer namely Samit Ray Choudhury on Monday.A total of 75 polling stations are present in Khowai district and 40,000 voters will cast their votes in the upcoming Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections on May 3.

"It is a three-tier security for the electronic voting machines (EVMs). The machines have been kept inside the strong rooms made in eight districts," said an official of the Election Commission.

"Each strong room is guarded by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) security personnel, armed police and the local police," the official added.

The counting will likely to begin at 8 a.m. The party workers will be allowed at the counting centres only on the counting day, he added.

It is to be mentioned here that a total of 177 candidates are contesting in the Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections.

Counting will be held on May 6," The Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) was formed in January 1982 under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution and later its powers were promoted by amending the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in August 1984 to protect and safeguard the political, economic and cultural interests of the tribals. The tribal council constitutes two third of the state territory and home to the tribals who form one third of the population.