The Tripura Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the state of Tripura, in Northeast India. The seat of the legislative assembly is at Agartala, the capital of the state. The assembly sits for a term of five years, unless it is dissolved earlier.[1]: 72 Tripura is the third-smallest state in India, covering 10,491 km2 (4,051 sq mi);[2] and the seventh-least populous state with a population of 3.67 million.[3] The Tripura Legislative Assembly has existed since 1963, when it had 30 constituencies. As of the 2023 elections, it has 60 constituencies.
Tripura Legislative Assembly | |
|---|---|
| 13th Legislative Assembly of Tripura | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | 5 years |
| Established | 1963 |
| Seats | 60 |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
Last election | 16 February 2023 |
| Meeting place | |
| Tripura Legislative Assembly, Gurkhabasti, Agartala, Tripura, India | |
| Website | |
| tripuraassembly.nic.in | |
Since the independence of India, the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) have been given Reservation status, guaranteeing political representation, and the Constitution lays down the general principles of positive discrimination for SCs and STs.[4][1]: 35, 137 The 2011 census of India stated that indigenous people constitute 32% of the state's total population.[5] The Scheduled Tribes have been granted a reservation of 20 seats in the assembly, while 10 constituencies are reserved for candidates of the Scheduled Castes.[6]
History
Tripura became a Union Territory of India on 1 September 1956. A 30-member electoral college was established.[7] In 1957 this was replaced by a 32-member Territorial Council consisting of 30 elected members, and two appointed by the national government.[8] In 1963 the Territorial Council was dissolved, and the members transferred to a newly created Legislative Assembly.[9] The first elections to the Legislative Assembly occurred in 1967.[9] Full statehood was granted to the territory in 1971, by the passing of the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971. The number of constituencies was doubled to 60 at the same time.[10]
| Year | Act | Effect | Total seats | Reserved seats | Election/s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | ST | |||||
| 1963 | Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 | The legislative assembly was created with 30 elected seats.[11] | 30 | 3 | 9 | 1967[12] |
| 1971 | North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 | Tripura was converted from a Union Territory to a state. The size of the assembly was increased to 60. | 60 | 5 | 19 | 1972[13] |
| 1976 | The Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 1976 | There were changes in the reservation status and area covered by constituencies.[14] | 60 | 7 | 19 | 1977[15] |
| 1983 | 60 | 7 | 20 | 1983[16] | ||
| 1988 | 60 | 7 | 17 | 1988[17] | ||
| 1993 | 60 | 7 | 20 | 1993,[18] 1998,[19] 2003,[20] and 2008[21] | ||
| 2008 | Delimitation of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies Order, 2008 | There were changes in the reservation status and area covered by constituencies.[22] | 60 | 10 | 20 | 2013,[23] 2018,[24] and 2023[25] |
Constituencies
The following is a list of the constituencies of the Tripura Legislative Assembly since the delimitation of legislative assembly constituencies in 2008.[22]
Reservation