Govt urged to hold ADC election
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, October 25 2026: Former Members of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) have urged the Khemchand-led Government to hold election to the councils, stating that the council lying "paralysed" has deprived the people of their rights and development opportunities.

The election to the six ADCs was last held in June 2015 and the term of office of the Members ended in 2020 .

Even as the ADC election has long been a political and administrative issue, previously, the councils had also witnessed no elections for over 2 decades from 1988 to 2010 .

Notably, the ADCs were dissolved in 1988, and subsequent elections were kept in abeyance for over two decades amid mounting demand from hill bodies seeking greater autonomy and the extension of the Sixth Schedule.

Following the passage of the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council (Third Amendment) Act, 2008, election was held under then Chief Minister Okram Ibobi in 2010 amid boycott by several Naga bodies.

A decade later, after the end of the term of office of the Members elected in the 2015 election, the councils went dormant again in 2020 .

After the end of the term of the ADCs in June 2020, the term was extended by six months to November 2020.While the State Government had then appointed Caretaker Chairmen to keep the councils functioning, the Gauhati High Court had, on March 15, 2024, declared the appointment of Caretaker Chairmen illegal, prompting the then Governor to cancel the appointments in early October 2024 .

Following this cancellation of the appointments of the Caretaker Chairmen, speaking to this paper, former ADC Members noted that the State Assembly's Hill Areas Committee (HAC) had on October 14, 2024, recommended the State Government to hold the ADC election at the earliest.

While the recommendation submitted was not acted on, the HAC recently on March 12, 2026, had made another recommendation to the Government to hold the pending election.

Despite the HAC submitting recommendations twice, the State Government has not taken any positive and concrete steps to hold the pending election, said the former Members.

While withholding the election, the State Government has appointed Deputy Commissioners as the administrators of the respective ADCs, added the former Members.

Due to the Government's failure to hold the pending election, the State has lost over Rs 624 crore worth of grants (15th Finance Commission) meant for local bodies including the ADCs, said the former Members.

An MLA alone can't bring development to the whole of a Constituency in the hills without a performing district council.

ADCs are crucial for development of infrastructure including road connectivity, health and education, said the former council Members.

By withholding the election, the Government is depriving the hill people of their rights.

The present Government must hold the pending election and revive the Autonomous District Councils at the earliest to bring development opportunities to the hill people, added the former Members.

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