Tipra Motha Party founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman on Wednesday announced that the Supreme Court of India has directed the State Election Commission to conduct elections to the Village Committees (VCs) under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) simultaneously with the general elections to the Council.
Describing the apex court’s directive as a significant victory, Debbarman took to his official social media handle to express his satisfaction. “A huge victory for us as the Supreme Court today has directed the State Election Commission to conduct VC elections along with the TTAADC elections simultaneously. After 10 years, elections will be conducted at the VC level,” he wrote.
The Tipra Motha Party had long alleged irregularities and undue delay in holding elections to the Village Committees, which are comparable to Panchayats in non-tribal areas. However, unlike the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, the VCs function under a single-tier governance structure within the Sixth Schedule areas. The tenure of the last elected VCs ended in 2016, and elections have remained pending since then.
Initially, the delay was attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, even after normalcy returned, no concrete steps were reportedly taken by the State Election Commission to conduct the polls, drawing criticism from opposition leaders and tribal bodies.
Meanwhile, the Tipra Motha Party, which came to power in the TTAADC in 2021, is nearing the completion of its five-year term. The general elections to the 28-member District Council are scheduled to be held in April this year. There are 587 Village Committees under the TTAADC. While Council elections are conducted using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), VC elections are held through postal ballots, reflecting procedural differences in the two electoral processes.
