The Governor’s Rule in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) is likely to be extended as the State government is yet to finalise the timetable for elections to its 28-member executive committee. An Administrator was appointed to the council after the term of the elected committee ended on May 17 last and a fresh election schedule could not be announced due to the pandemic.
The State government had notified the Governor’s Rule under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for six months. The arrangement lapses on November 16.
Officials on Thursday said no decision has yet been made on the timetable. They said a fresh notification would be issued in the first week of November to extend the Governor’s Rule.
Informed sources said the election schedule will depend on a political decision of ruling BJP. Though the BJP had earlier thought of contesting unaided, it is still considering an alliance with the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), its coalition partner in the State government.
Assam’s senior BJP leader and Chairman of the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) Himanta Biswa Sarma is expected to visit the State early next month to discuss the option and combination. The TTAADC has limited authority over the State’s three fourth lands.
An IPFT delegation recently met BJP president J.P. Nadda in Delhi and sought to contest 22 seats. It argued that the party had agreed to fight in nine seats in the 2018 Assembly elections to give the BJP an edge under an assurance that it would be given majority share in the TTAADC.
