The Tripura Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously decided to advance the election date for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) from April 13 to April 12, keeping in view a series of important festivals falling on the original polling day.The decision was taken on the fourth day of the Assembly session after members from across political parties raised concerns about the clash between the poll date and major celebrations such as Buisu, observed by indigenous communities, and the Bengali New Year. Legislators said holding elections on the same day could affect voter participation and disrupt festive observances.The issue was first raised during Zero Hour by Congress MLA and former minister Sudip Roy Barman. He pointed out that the State Election Commission had recently announced April 13 as the polling date. However, he said the day coincides with significant cultural and traditional events.
“On this very day we have Buisu and other festivals of indigenous people, along with the Bengali New Year. We must adopt a unanimous resolution and request the State Election Commission to change the date,” Roy Barman said. He added that advancing the poll date by a day would be more practical.Roy Barman also raised concerns over the scheduled date for counting of votes on April 17. He said the declaration of results could have a bearing on elections in other states such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and suggested that the counting date should be reconsidered.Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury supported the proposal and said that even the ruling BJP had approached the State Election Commission on the matter. He said there was broad agreement across parties to seek a change in the schedule.Members from other parties also backed the demand. Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma, IPFT leader and Cooperation Minister Shukla Charan Noatia, and Tipra Motha MLA Chitta Ranjan Debbarma all expressed similar concerns. They said the issue had been discussed within their parties and there was consensus that the poll date should be shifted in view of the festivals.
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, responding to the discussion, said the election notification had already been issued and the schedule was tight. He explained that the poll was set for April 13, re-poll for April 16, and counting for April 17, with the entire process to be completed by April 18.“The schedule is tight. If we delay, an Administrator may have to be appointed as the timeline will be affected. However, since there are multiple festivals and members have raised concerns, we can suggest the matter to the State Election Commission,” the Chief Minister said. Roy Barman, however, clarified that under constitutional provisions, the TTAADC could continue under a caretaker Chief Executive Member, and appointment of an Administrator was not necessary.Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath said that a collective decision was needed after proper discussion among all parties. He also suggested that the Assembly session could be shortened if required to address the issue urgently.Following detailed discussions, a consensus emerged in the House. A proposal was made to advance the polling date to April 12 and reschedule the counting date accordingly. Later, Transport Minister and Cabinet spokesperson Susanta Chowdhury formally conveyed the decision to the Speaker. “Keeping in view the festivals of tribal and Bengali communities, it is unanimously proposed to pre-pone the election date to April 12. A resolution has been adopted,” he said.
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