Supreme Court Mandates Single-Phase Voting For Tripura Village Committee Elections

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Tripura State Election Commission (SEC) to conduct elections to the village committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in a single phase on September 27, settling a key procedural issue in the long-pending electoral exercise. A bench comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi issued the direction after noting that both the Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Tripura SEC, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the state government, had agreed to complete the elections in one phase.

The consensus, the court observed, would also reduce the need for additional security deployment and streamline the electoral process. During the hearing, the Attorney General had suggested conducting the elections in a single phase, a proposal with which the Solicitor General expressed full agreement. Taking note of this joint position, the bench said that consolidating the polling process would be administratively efficient and would avoid unnecessary logistical complications.

In its order, the court recorded that the parties were in substantial agreement regarding the proposed election schedule, and that the difference in suggested timelines was minimal. It therefore directed that the elections be conducted in accordance with the schedule outlined in the affidavit submitted before it. The bench further emphasized that all concerned authorities must make earnest efforts to adhere strictly to the timeline and ensure that the election process is completed without delay. It also made it clear that no further extension would be granted, underscoring the need for timely completion of the electoral exercise.

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The matter was heard in response to a petition filed by Tipra Motha Party founder Pradyot Deb Burman, who alleged that the authorities had failed to conduct overdue elections to the village committees under the TTAADC framework established by the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council Act, 1994. With the court’s directive, the long-pending village committee elections are now expected to move forward on the scheduled date, marking a significant step in the electoral process within Tripura’s tribal administrative structure.

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