Photo Courtesy: nenow
Imphal: Former Autonomous District Council members in Manipur are demanding the Khemchand government set a date for local body elections. The delay has choked off essential services. Hill residents are suffering. The absence of elected officials has cost the state more than Rs 624 crore in 15th Finance Commission grants.
Elected terms expired in 2020. The government installed caretaker chairmen to fill the void. The Gauhati High Court scrapped these appointments in March 2024, leading the Governor to revoke them later that year. Deputy commissioners currently serve as temporary administrators. The former representatives stated that individual legislators cannot manage the scale of infrastructure, healthcare, and education needs across hill constituencies.
The Hill Areas Committee of the Manipur Legislative Assembly issued a formal recommendation for the polls on March 12, 2026. This follows an ignored appeal from late 2024. Former councillors slammed the government for its inaction. "The prolonged suspension of elected councils has deprived hill residents of development opportunities and their constitutional rights," they noted.
The state has a history of political deadlock. Local governance stalled between 1988 and 2010 during heated debates over regional autonomy and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The Okram Ibobi Singh administration restored the councils in 2010, but the system again failed following the 2020 expiration. These leaders argue that restoring democratic control is the only way to ensure local accountability.
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