Village Committee elections in Tripura tribal areas will be held before June: State EC to Supreme Court

The Tripura State Election Commission told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that elections to Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be conducted before June this year [Pradyot Deb Burman v. Union of India].

Attorney General (AG) R Venkataramani gave the assurance on behalf of the State Election Commission.

“Everything has been explained. Before June 2026, elections would be conducted,” he submitted.

A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Manmohan recorded the statement and asked the State Election Commission to adhere to the proposed timeline and ensure completion of the elections accordingly.

“The aforesaid statement is accepted and taken on record. The State Election Commission shall adhere to the time schedule provided hereinabove,” the Court ordered.

The Court was hearing a plea filed by one Pradyot Deb Burman alleging that authorities have failed to conduct Village Committee elections for several years despite repeated assurances before the High Court.

The petition also sought directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tripura State Election Commission to immediately conduct the long-overdue elections.

Appearing for the petitioner, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued that elections have not been conducted for the past six years.

“Six years of putting submissions before the High Court, saying they will conduct elections. Now they have filed an affidavit. The District Council elections, they say, with the same electoral rolls, they will conduct by April 2026,” Sankaranarayanan submitted.

The Attorney General assured the Court that the schedule would be adhered to and elections completed within the indicated timeline.

"In response, the Attorney General has made a statement that the time schedule indicated in para 16 of the affidavit shall be adhered to, and all possible efforts shall be made to ensure that the village committee elections are completed within the said schedule," the Court recorded.

The matter will be heard again on May 28.

The petition was filed through advocate Arjun Aggarwal

[Live Coverage]