Eager for ADC elections
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: April 08, 2023 -

WITH elections to urban local bodies and panchayat tentatively scheduled for conduct in june, it is but natural that posers would be raised over delaying the same exercise in the case of Autonomous District Councils (ADC), which are constitutionally mandated bodies for governance from the grassroots level in the hills.

Regardless of the government symbolically reinstating the dissolved ADCs in the form of retaining the chairpersons as care-takers till conduct of the pending elections, tribal organisations, political figures, ADCs’ sitting and aspirant councillors and incumbent legislators have been questioning the rationale behind not holding the due election.

For the record, there had been occasional demands for expediting relevant process to formally revive the council after its tenure lapsed amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In what could be construed as an effort to keep the ADC heads in upbeat mood, the government of Manipur allotted four-wheelers to the care-taker chairpersons, thereby underscoring importance of keeping alive the councils.

Compared to outbreak of Covid-19 cited as the main reason for the delay in scheduling the ADC polls, at the juncture the procedure for carrying out delimitation exercise is being referenced by the government authorities.

Interestingly, the process for realignment of assembly segments and subsequent demarcation of the ADC constituencies has evoked mixed response with organisations and individuals in the newly formed districts backing the move whereas those in the old districts, especially the sitting councillors, are against the idea of creating additional ADCs and had been insisting that the pending elections must be accorded importance above all considerations.

The general sentiment among the tribal population over protracted delay in conducting the election had been made crystal clear when the Tangkhul Mayar Ngala Long (TMNL) expressed discontentment on the'issue and organised protest agitation few weeks back.

Similarly, various other hill-based tribal civil societies and individuals have been casting aspersions on commitment of the government in initiating conduct of the polls not to mention about accusing the establishment of belittling tribal interests.

Speculation is also rife that the government has been acting impartially and questioning its attitude, particularly after the cabinet meeting held on March 16 decided to conduct elections to urban local bodies and panchayat within June this year but made no mention about the ADC polls.

As such, eagerness to make the ADCs fully functional could be comprehended from six MLAs elected from assembly constituencies under Churachandpurand Pherzawl districts urging Tribal Affairs and Hills minister Let-pao Haokip to make arrangement for conducting elections to the ADCs which have been left pending since May 31, 2020.

In a joint representation, the six MLAs-NgursanglurSanate(Tipaimukh),Vungzagin Valte (Thanlon), Letzanriang Haokip (Henglep), LM Khaute (Churachandpur), Paolenlal Haokip (Saikot) and Chinlunthang (Singhat) reminded minister Letpao that as per the resolution adopted in the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) meeting held on March 16 with regard to the ADC election, the pending polls should be conducted at the earliest so that the public mandated Councils are formally installed.

While only time will tell whether or not the government cedes to demand of the six MLAs, it is obvious that tribal legislators and stakeholders concerned would feel deeply suspicious that the tribal people are politically and developmentally being discriminated upon.

As ADCs are empowered to legislate and administer on a range of subjects like revenue, primary education, customary laws, etc. as listed in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, keeping such important institutions in a state of morbidity would naturally arise varied interpretations.