The polling to the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) will take place on January 8 next year, the Assam State Election Commission (ASEC) said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference here, State Election Commissioner Alok Kumar said polling will be conducted through ballot papers, as electronic voting machines (EVMs) cannot be used due to their unavailability at present.

The last date for filing of nominations for all 28 constituencies has been fixed on December 21 and the scrutiny of applications will be done on the next day, he said.

The total number of voters in the constituencies spread across Dima Hasao district is 1,41,124, including 70,485 men and 70,639 women.

“The last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 22 and the list of valid candidates will be published on the same day. The polling will take place on January 8 from 8 am to 4 pm, while the counting will be held on January 12,” Kumar said.

If there is any requirement of repolling, it will be held on January 10.

Kumar said voting will be held for all the constituencies, comprising 280 polling stations, of which 27 have been marked as ‘very sensitive’, 100 as ‘sensitive’ and the remaining as ‘comparatively safe’.

Out of these polling stations, 10-15 per cent are located in extremely remote and difficult terrain with non-motorable roads, and the ASEC will grant two days extra to the polling officials to reach these booths, he said.

“The total number of voters has increased by 15.4 per cent compared to the last election of the council in 2019,” Kumar said.

Voting will be conducted as per the latest photo electoral rolls published on November 14.

The model code of conduct has come into force with the announcement of the poll dates.

“The law and order will be managed by the state police, as central forces are usually not involved in local elections,” Kumar added.