ATSUM calls for ADC elections
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, October 19 2020:
The All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister N Biren Singh demanding elections to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in October-November and warned that if their demand is not heeded then they will be constrained to launch a series of intense agitation.
Condemning the delay in announcing the date of the polls to the six ADCs, the memorandum it submitted on October 17 recounted that the State Government had extended the term of the office of Members of six ADCs by six months and elections were recommended to be held in October-November.
With the term of office of Members of the six ADCs expiring (2015-2020), the Hill Areas Committee (HAC) had "deliberately misinterpreted rainy season (June-July) as administrative difficulty" and recommended the State Government to defer the ADC elections to the month of November.
As a result, the State Government had then extended the term of office of the ADCs by six months wef June 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020 .
An order to this effect was issued on March 19 .
The same order also mentioned that the elections to the ADCs shall be held in October-November 2020.Thereafter, the State Election Commission on August 22 had then conveyed to the Tribal Affairs and Hills Department for holding the elections in mid November.
Further the Election Commission had also asked the State Government to issue notification for publishing draft electoral rolls of ADCs of each Constituency on September 14.However, the State Government has not yet taken up any steps regarding the matter, ATSUM said.
Above this, four Chairmen of Autonomous District Councils-ADC Chandel, ADC Ukhrul, ADC Kangpokpi and ADC Tamenglong, as a result of their joint meeting on July 21, had urged the HAC and State Government to extend the term of officer of all Members of the six ADCs by another six months starting December 1, 2020 till May 31, 2021 citing 'harvesting and COVID-19' as reasons for extension.
Terming the reasons cited by the four Chairmen as 'irrational', ATSUM asserted that further extension of the term of office of the Members would deprive the tribal populace of their Constitutional franchise rights.
"The first extension of ADCs tenure for 6 (six) months (from 01-06-2020) to 30-11-2020) was done on the basis of June-July being rainy season, and not convenient to hold election.
However, if another six months extension of the ADCs tenure (starting 1st December 2020) is granted, next election of the ADC will fall in the month of June-July which will naturally be again a rainy season.
Thus, will self-nullify their previous reasons of extension," said ATSUM.
As the terms of office of all incumbent Members of the six ADCs are expiring on November 30, ATSUM said the State Government should respect the proposal and recommendation of the HAC to hold elections in October-November 2020.The memorandum cautioned that ATSUM along with its federating units will be compelled to launch various forms of agitation if Government fails to pay heed to their appeal.