Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: The Meghalaya cabinet pushed back the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections for a second time on Wednesday. The current term expires on October 17. This latest six-month extension uses up the full one-year limit allowed by law.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma chaired the meeting. MDA spokesperson Wailadmiki Shylla confirmed the decision. Officials now expect polls to occur early next year, likely after April 2027. The council manages the Garo Hills under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, overseeing 30 seats with 29 elected members and one governor-appointed official.
Initial delays started in March following violent clashes over non-tribal candidate participation. Protesters assaulted a former MLA in Tura and Chibinang on March 9. Security forces opened fire on a mob in West Garo Hills, killing two people and wounding several others. Officials enforced an indefinite curfew and deployed the Army to restore order. “Because of that unfortunate incident which happened in Garo Hills, we could not hold the election and we extended it for six months,” Shylla said.
Ongoing work on delimitation and the revision of tribal-only electoral rolls forced this second delay. The government previously updated the electoral framework to restrict voting to Scheduled Tribe members. Authorities hope these administrative processes will conclude before the new extension lapses.
Comments