ADC polls set for April 13, counting of votes April 17; political battle intensifies in tribal areas

The Tripura State Election Commission (SEC), on Tuesday, announced that elections to the 30-member Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) will be conducted on April 13, setting the stage for a significant electoral battle across the state's tribal-dominated regions.

Tripura State Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar said that the concerned returning officers will issue the statutory notification on March 18. The last date for filing nominations has been fixed as March 25.

Scrutiny of nominations will take place the following day, while March 28 has been scheduled as the deadline for withdrawal of candidature. The counting of votes will be held on April 17.

The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect in the TTAADC areas, Kumar told the media.

The SEC, accompanied by State Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag and Commission Secretary Anurag Sen, said that a total of 9,62,697 voters, predominantly from tribal communities, are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming state elections, which includes 4,80,666 women voters.

The DGP said that comprehensive security arrangements will be put in place to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free, fair and smooth manner.

Since 2021, the politically influential TTAADC has been governed by the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma.

The council consists of 28 elected members and two nominated by the state government.

In the 2021 TTAADC elections, the BJP contested 11 seats and secured victory in nine constituencies, while a BJP-supported Independent candidate also won.

The TMP emerged as the dominant force by winning 18 seats and took control of the council from the CPI-M-led Left Front, which had governed the autonomous body for several years.

The council administers nearly two-thirds of Tripura's total area of 10,491 square km and is home to more than 12.16 lakh people, of whom nearly 84 per cent belong to indigenous tribal communities.

The TTAADC was established on August 23, 1984, following the passage of the 49th Amendment of the Constitution in Parliament, with the aim of safeguarding the rights, welfare and development of tribal population in the state.

The first elections to the fully functional TTAADC were held in 1985, marking a major milestone in the long-standing movement for tribal self-governance.

Ahead of the upcoming elections, major political parties, including the BJP, its ally the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), and the TMP, along with opposition parties such as the CPI-M and the Congress, have intensified their campaigns to consolidate support among tribal voters.

Tribals constitute nearly one-third of Tripura's 4.2 million populations and continue to play a decisive role in shaping the state's political landscape.