TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Tuesday said the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the petition on conducting overdue village committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) on October 27 or 28.
Taking to Facebook, Debbarma wrote, “Hon CJI has listened to our mention today at the Supreme Court and the hearing for VC elections will take place on the 27 or 28 of this month. The delay in holding the VC election must be one of the longest delays in history of democratic India.”
His remarks came after the apex court directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) to immediately conduct the pending polls and sought an explanation for the five-year delay. This is the first time a ruling alliance partner in Tripura has approached the Supreme Court against the state poll panel.
The elections to the 587 village committees, which govern local administration across the TTAADC’s 70 percent geographical spread, were due in March 2021 but were postponed citing the pandemic. An administrator has since overseen the tribal council areas.
Earlier, in August, Debbarma had welcomed the court’s intervention, saying, “Fear of losing election cannot mean you can curtail the democratic rights of the indigenous people of Tripura.”
Over 8.65 lakh voters were registered by 2021, up from 7.68 lakh in the previous polls of 2016. The SEC has said a revision of electoral rolls is necessary before holding the elections, especially with around 21,000 Bru migrants now being added as fresh voters.
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