Agartala: Nov 15. The Tripura government has appointed retired IAS officer Manoj Kumar as the new State Election Commissioner (SEC), replacing Saradindu Chaudhury. Kumar, a 1990-batch Tripura-cadre officer and former Chief Secretary, was serving as Special Chief Resident Commissioner at Tripura Bhavan in New Delhi before this posting. His appointment comes through a government notification issued on Saturday.
The timing of the appointment is significant, as Village Committees (VCs) elections in TTAADC areas have been pending for nearly a decade. Despite the High Court’s 2022 direction to conduct polls and the Supreme Court’s ongoing monitoring of the issue, the elections have not yet been held. While Urban Local Body and Panchayat polls were conducted during this period, VCs elections were repeatedly postponed, leading to criticism and legal challenges.
TIPRA Motha founder and Royal Scion Bubagra Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma and senior leaders of the party including Council Chairman Jagadish Debbarma, MLA Ranjit Debbarma, Minister of State Brishaketu Debbarma approached the Supreme Court over the prolonged delay, arguing that the absence of elected VCs has hampered development in TTAADC areas. Even NITI Aayog-linked funds reportedly faced hurdles due to the lack of elected representatives.
The appointment of a retired senior bureaucrat as SEC reflects a wider national trend seen under both UPA and NDA governments, where former civil servants are frequently placed in key positions within independent or ex-officio bodies. While such appointments bring administrative experience, they also renew discussions around the autonomy and perception of neutrality of institutions tasked with overseeing elections.
With the Supreme Court denying further extensions to the state government and the new SEC in place, expectations now shift toward a clear path for the overdue VCs elections. The central issue remains whether the election process can move forward smoothly and whether administrative steps taken at this stage will help restore regular democratic functioning in TTAADC areas.
