THE election to the Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTADC) is scheduled to be held on May 3. While declaring the poll schedule on March 31, State Election Commissioner S K Rakesh informed that the central government has been requested to dispatch 40 companies of security forces for smooth, free and fair conduct of election. This is for the first time, polling will be held with EVMs. The counting of votes is on May 6. In the incumbent Council of ADC, all the 28 elected members belong to the Left Front -- CPI(M) 25, and CPI, RSP and AIFB one each. In the last ADC election in 2010, Left Front won all the 28 seats with average 63 percent of total valid votes. Of the 28 seats, Left Front polled more than 60 percent votes in 22 seats and more than 50 percent in five and in only one seat Left Front bagged less than 50 percent votes. Congress, the main contender in the election, polled only 21.16 percent of the valid votes. Other parties, namely INPT, BJP, AITC, IPFT and NCT etc., polled marginally in the election. This time, apart from the Left Front and Congress, other parties in the fray are BJP, INPT and IPFT etc. Though all the anti-Left opposition parties are at present posing to contest separately, all of them are keen to fight the Left unitedly anticipating their miserable outcome in the results. Thus while the Left Front is solidly united, we have to wait for a few more days to see what type of combination may be formed by the opposition parties. The Left Front is well ahead of the opposition parties in campaign as well as in other preparations. On March 27, Left Front leaders declared the list of candidates in a crowded press conference. Sharing of seats among the Left Front partners this time is same as earlier. Of the 28 candidates, there are six new candidates including a woman. There are total three women candidates. Prominent leaders who were not nominated this time are Gajendra Tripura, Executive Member, who has been assigned with greater responsibility in the Party organisation and Chairman of the ADC Council Mongsaji Mog who opted to be relieved because of his ailing health. The Left Front appealed to the people to return its candidates in all the seats with greater margin. Establishment of ADC The TTAADC, also called ‘ADC’, was constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in 1985. It was a product of relentless struggle waged by both tribal and non-tribal masses of the state since 1960s. Unlike any other north-eastern state, Tripura bears a peculiarity in its demographic feature. Once a predominantly tribal majority state, due to the influx of Bengali refugees from the erstwhile Pakistan (now Bangladesh), immediately after independence within a few years the state turned a Bengali majority state. Thus it was felt an utmost urgency to create an autonomous tribal council as an instrument for socio-economic uplift of the tribals, to promote their culture, heritage and language, protect their land and properties from the greedy hands of vested interests like money-lenders, black-marketers, dishonest traders and contractors and most importantly, to maintain amity and friendship between tribal and non-tribal communities. But the then ruling Congress party opposed this demand tooth and nail out of their narrow sectarian outlook that it would aggrieve the Bengali masses whom the party considered to be its vote bank. Rather, the Congress government relaxed all protective legal provisions for the tribals including their land rights, and remained just an onlooker on the illegal transfer of tribal lands to the non-tribals. The first Left Front government under Nripen Chakraborty immediately after assuming office in 1978 initiated the process for constitution of the Tribal Autonomous District Council under the Sixth Schedule which the then Morarji Desai-led Janata Party government at the Centre denied outright. He then suggested creating such an ADC under the 7th Schedule which is possible by a state act. The Left Front government formed the ADC under the 7th Schedule in end of 1979 and were preparing for holding election amidst stiff resistance of Amara Bangali group, most of whose followers were Congress supporters. TUJS, the parent organisation of the present two opposition tribal parties namely INPT and IPFT, also opposed ADC under the 7th Schedule with the sole objective to destabilise the Left Front government. They demanded ADC under the 6th Schedule. To stall election to ADC, Amara Bangali put up roadblocks in various parts of the state, while TUJS made a most provocative call for market boycott throughout the state demanding deportation of all Bengalis settled in the state since its accession to Indian Union. TUJS made this call most calculatedly to create hostility between tribals and non-tribals, setting aside their core demand for ADC under the 6th Schedule. That resulted in June 1980 disturbances between tribals and non-tribals in large parts of the state. The Left Front government most meticulously took control of the situation and restored peace within a short time. Subsequently the election was held in 1982 which was won by the Left Front. Completely alienated from the tribal masses, the then Congress leadership realised it is necessary to have an alliance with TUJS to fight the Left Front in election. Later, the central government under India Gandhi bowed down to the pressure of the democratic movement to pass a Constitutional Amendment providing constitution of TTADC under the 6th Schedule in 1985. ADC under Congress-TUJS rule In 1990, by staging a mockery of election by means of large-scale threat, intimidation, killing and booth capturing, the Congress-TUJS combine forcibly got majority in the ADC. The regime of ADC under this combine was an unparallel instance of misrule, misappropriation of public exchequer and utter betrayal to the pledges to the people. This regime was notorious for all out crisis in ADC areas. In a man-maid famine-like situation innumerable people in remote areas died of starvation and mal-feeding. No medical service was available in outbreak of epidemic of gastroenteritis. The un-fed tribal women squatting for food before a food godown at Damchhara were dealt with bullet which left one pregnant tribal woman killed on the spot and several injured. Again in 2000, the ADC was grabbed by IPFT by using brute force of NLFT gun power. The state government was not in a position to combat the militants’ widespread attack aiming to defunct the Left Front election setup due to paucity of security forces at its disposal, thanks to the non-cooperation of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre. The then executive body of the ADC under IPFT was solely accountable to the insurgents who helped them to sit in ADC under gun power. Thus hardly any welfare of the tribal people could be done by the then ADC. The major ADC fund was siphoned off to the hands of the extremists. No common people could approach the ADC headquarters because it was practically converted to a den of the NLFT extremists. Present situation Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), the present incarnation of the earlier TUJS, has totally lost its credibility among the tribal masses because of its long time alliance with the Congress which is historically known to be rabidly anti-tribal and responsible for plights of tribal masses particularly in Tripura. In the 2013 assembly elections, it did not win a single seat for the first time since 1978. Now that the Congress is no more in power at the Centre, they severed ties with Congress and trying to veer round the BJP. But BJP is also a bit hesitant to ally with it considering its approach of pure tribal chauvinism. Another breakaway group of the erstwhile TUJS is the Indigenous People’s Front of Twipra (IPFT). They are the open political organisation of the outlawed NLFT extremists. They are frantically trying to build up bases among the tribal masses by means of raising slogan of ‘identity’ and ‘entity’ of the tribals. They raised demand for separate tribal state with the existing ADC area which is tantamount to the slogan of ‘independent Tripura’ propagated by the secessionist extremists. They also instigate the tribals saying that no Bengali Chief Minister can serve the interest of the tribals. With such parochial slogans they succeeded to mislead a section of the tribal youths. They seem to be the main contender against Left Front in this election. Since the Congress has traditionally been alienated from the tribal masses, and opposed formation of ADC, their claim for accomplishing welfare of the tribal people hardly carries any edge. They are keen to propagate so-called fabricated stories of corruption against Left Front ministers including Chief Minister Manik Sarkar. Congress is never seen to raise any pro-people demand for the state’s progress and development. Rather they are interested to oppose implementation of various popular schemes by the Left Front government. This negative politics pushed them more alienated particularly when they are voted out of power at the Centre. Left Front Campaign The main thrust of the Left Front campaign is the performance of the incumbent ADC Council during the last five years in cooperation with the state government which has sincerely extended its cooperation in every development initiatives. In spite of machinations carried out by a section of disgruntled elements of the state patronised by the international vested interest, the Left Front government successfully restored peace and tranquillity in the state which is the prerequisite of accomplishment of progress and development. The Left Front in its campaign very categorically mentions that the programme of the ADC for welfare of the tribal people cannot be separated from that of the Left Front government so far as ADC is run by the Left Front. In two terms under Left rule, ADC in Tripura has become a model of development not only in the North Eastern States, but also in the whole country. In every human development parameters like food-intake, dwelling houses, providing health services, education, supply of drinking water, road communication, construction of bridges, and extension of electricity ADC areas are equally advanced at par with other non-ADC areas of the state. Boys and girls of even tribal jhumia families are able to pursue studies in medical and engineering courses in the state itself. Many educated tribal youths are posted in higher posts of the administration, which was beyond imagination during the Congress rule. In allotment of patta to the tribal families under FRA, Tripura tops in the country. Officials from the central government or other states whoever visits tribal villages in Tripura get surprised to see the life-style of the tribal people. At one time all development programmes in the ADC areas got standstill because of the unabated onslaughts of the NLFT and ATTF extremists. Rendering health services, opening of schools, extension of electricity, supply of drinking water, construction and maintenance of village roads, extension of telecommunication, marketing of agricultural product everything were ceased to operate because of the random attack, killing, kidnapping, extortion of money, arson etc. That was a horrible period where people longed for restoration of peace and tranquillity and protection of the lives and properties. At the same time, the Left Front is also highlighting the anti-people, pro-corporate neo-liberal economic policies of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government. Left Front leaders in their deliberations categorically refute the sectarian demand for a separate state and the so called slogan of ‘tribal Chief Minister for tribal welfare’. They cite the plight of Mizoram Reang refugees who are driven out of their ancestral houses from a state which is being governed by a tribal Chief Minister and provided asylum, food and all amenities for living by a Left Front government headed by a Bengali Chief Minister. Thus it is immaterial which community a Chief Minister belongs to. The main factor that is material to render good to the people is the approach and policy of the ruling party. The Left Front government had made efforts to make the ADC truly autonomous and a strong elected body. But during the Congress-TUJS coalition government, the ADC was reduced to a sycophant body which was subjected to undemocratic attack and interference from outside. The 21st State Conference of CPI(M) has given a clarion call to the Left Front leaders and workers to plunge into the ADC electoral battle with a challenge to usher in a total victory not only bagging all the 28 seats, but also with bigger margin. The conference also cautioned that though apparently the opposition parties seem to be in disarray, we have no room to sit idle. Frustrating all machinations plotted by the vested interests both within and outside the state, and refuting all slanders, falsifications, exaggeration, and misinformation, the Left Front is set to attain a big victory in the ensuing TTAADC election.