Pradyot Kishore Debbarman on Saturday asserted that deferring elections for political reasons amounts to the “murder of democracy,” amid ongoing debate over the Village Committee (VC) elections in Tripura.
Reacting to recent developments in the Supreme Court of India regarding the VC polls, Debbarman said he had earlier released a video of the court proceedings after his remarks on the matter were questioned. According to him, the recording made it clear that the judges had directed the state to explore all possibilities of conducting elections to the VCs and the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) simultaneously, with a 14-day notice period for response.
Describing the court’s observations as a victory for villagers in the TTAADC areas, Debbarman alleged that poor Tiprasa residents had been deprived of their constitutional rights. He claimed that arguments presented before the court suggested that the polls had been intentionally deferred. “If elections are postponed out of fear of defeat, it amounts to killing democracy,” he said.
However, Chief Minister Manik Saha earlier contended that the Supreme Court’s observations were being misinterpreted. According to Saha, the apex court merely sought clarification on whether the state government was prepared to conduct the elections simultaneously.
The Chief Minister also attributed the delay in holding the VC elections to the TTAADC administration. He stated that the ADC’s move to undertake delimitation of Village Committees had stalled the election process.
The issue has triggered political debate in the state, with both sides presenting differing interpretations of the Supreme Court’s observations on the timing and conduct of the elections.
