Tripura: VC elections after 10 years, Supreme Court orders simultaneous polls

Agartala: The Supreme Court has directed the State Election Commission to hold elections to the Village Committees (VCs) under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) simultaneously with the council’s general elections, Tipra Motha Party founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma said on Wednesday.

In a post on his official social media account, Debbarman described the court’s order as a “huge victory,” noting that VC polls would be conducted after a gap of 10 years.

Elections to the 587 Village Committees have been pending since the tenure of the last elected bodies ended in 2016. The Tipra Motha Party had previously raised concerns over alleged irregularities and delays in holding the polls, which were due a decade ago.

The Village Committees serve as grassroots governance units within the Sixth Schedule areas and differ from the three-tier panchayat structure in non-tribal regions, operating under a single-tier system.

The delay in holding the VC elections was initially attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. Party leaders said no further steps were taken by the State Election Commission to conduct the polls thereafter.

The Tipra Motha Party came to power in the TTAADC in 2021 and is set to complete its five-year term, with the next general elections to the District Council scheduled for April this year.

Officials said the procedures for the two elections differ: while voting in the District Council polls is conducted through electronic voting machines (EVMs), Village Committee elections are held using postal ballots.