Tripura HC directs state election commission to hold village panel polls

All political parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition CPIM, Congress, and TIPRA Motha, applauded the Tripura High Court's verdict mandating the state election commission on Tuesday to finish voting for village committees (VC) under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) by November.

Because of Covid-19, the Tripura administration had been refusing to conduct elections for 587 village committees. Meanwhile, the state administration was ordered by the high court to hold ADC elections in May of last year, but it refused to accept the demand for village committee elections.

After hearing the PIL filed by two ADC residents, Rajesh Debbarma and Dahlia Debbarma, the Tripura High Court division bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mohanty and Justice SG Chattopadhyay asked the state electoral commission to finish the full election process by November. 

The oppositions however alleged that the rulling BJP is influencing the state election commission for deferring the polls as it doesn't have a strong base in the area.