Agartala, October 31: Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, founder of Tipra Motha and key leader in the ruling BJP alliance, met with State Election Commissioner Saradindu Chowdhury at the Secretariat on Thursday to demand voting rights for the newly resettled Bru community across 13 locations in Tripura.
The Bru people, also known as Reangs, were displaced from Mizoram over two decades ago and have now been settled permanently in Tripura following an accord.
Debbarma urged the State Election Commission to include these Bru settlements, located within the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas, in the voter list for the upcoming Village Council (VC) elections.
He submitted a memorandum on behalf of the TTAADC, emphasizing the importance of urgently addressing this inclusion to ensure that all tribal communities in the region have representation.
Debbarma stated, highlighting his ongoing commitment to integrating the Bru population within Tripura.
“The Tiprasa community cannot be further divided, and I will continue to follow up on this matter personally,” said Pradyot who despite numerous protests, played a significant role in securing permanent settlement for the Mizoram displaced Brus in these 13 villages in Tripura.
As per the High Court directive, the Village Council elections are to be held soon, ending a five-year hiatus since the last council’s tenure expired. However, Debbarma expressed concern that development work remains stalled, disproportionately affecting tribal communities, due to the election delays.
Commissioner Chowdhury clarified that the inclusion of Bru settlements in the voter list falls under the purview of the state government’s tribal welfare department, which would need to conduct delimitation in the designated areas.
“Only after delimitation can the Election Commission proceed with the polling process,” he noted, adding that Debbarma, along with TTAADC members and Bru representatives, discussed this issue, as well as the by-election for vacant TTAADC seats, which also requires initiation by the tribal welfare department.
According to the Election Commission, preparations are underway, and the polling process is expected to be finalized by December, bringing much-awaited development and representation to these regions.
