Agartala, March 1:
The Supreme Court of India has sharply questioned the delay in conducting Village Committee (VC) elections in the TTAADC areas, expressing dissatisfaction over the explanations furnished by the State Election Commission (SEC), Tripura, and asking why the long-pending polls cannot be held simultaneously with the upcoming ADC elections.
During the hearing on February 26, excerpts of which were shared on social media by Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, founder of TIPRA Motha, the Bench was seen taking strong exception to what it termed as a “vague” affidavit and the absence of a clear timeline for conducting the VC elections.
The matter pertains to the non-conduct of Village Committee elections despite an earlier undertaking given before the High Court of Tripura to complete the exercise by November 2022. With the calendar now in 2026, the Bench questioned the logic behind seeking further time and warned that failure to file a proper affidavit could invite suspension of responsible officers.
“We do not find a logical reason as to why you are not holding simultaneous elections,” the Bench observed, noting that the ADC elections are scheduled to be completed by April 18, 2026. The Court rejected the proposed September time frame and directed the authorities to submit a clearer and earlier schedule, indicating that the process should be concluded by May-end in any case.
The State Election Commission had cited logistical concerns, including the difficulty of voters in hill areas travelling to separate polling booths for ADC and VC elections. However, the Court observed that booth arrangements could be managed conveniently and remarked that Tripura is not a state of such geographical scale that simultaneous elections would be impractical.
The issue of inclusion of voters from the settled Bru or Reang community—who had migrated from Mizoram and were subsequently rehabilitated in Tripura—also came up during the proceedings. It was informed that around 17,000 such voters have already been incorporated into the revised electoral rolls. The Court noted that with the voter list updated, the justification for further delay appeared unconvincing.
The petition was moved by TIPRA Motha after the VC elections were not conducted despite the High Court’s earlier direction and undertaking by the authorities. The controversy has now intensified amid discussions over the possibility of holding VC elections simultaneously with the TTAADC polls.
The Supreme Court has directed the State Election Commission to file a fresh affidavit with a specific and time-bound schedule, making it clear that vague assurances would not be accepted.
Amid growing tensions between Tripura’s ruling NDA allies—the Bharatiya Janata Party and the TIPRA Motha Party—the long-pending Village Committee elections have emerged as a major flashpoint. In addition to this the delay in implementing the Tiprasa Accord and the continuing demand for adoption of Roman script for the Kokborok language, are fast becoming one of the most contentious issues within the alliance. These matters are expected to dominate the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), which are likely to be held within the next one and a half months.
