By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The Garo Students’ Union (GSU) is contemplating to hold agitational programme in Garo Hills to demand for the preparation of separate electoral rolls for the election to the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) scheduled for 2014.
“We will pressurize the GHADC to prepare separate electoral rolls since there is a lot of confusion if the same electoral rolls used for the Assembly elections are used for the GHADC election,” GSU president Tengsak G Momin said here on Thursday.
What is happening at present is that the authorities simply copy the electoral roll of the general elections, Momin said.
The GSU president pointed out that in the past many non-tribals managed to cast their votes to elect Councillors since their names were also included in the electoral rolls.
He also said that a non-tribal even managed to contest the last District Council election on grounds that their names were in their electoral rolls.
“As per the laid down norms, only the local indigenous population of the State are supposed to cast their votes in the election to the ADCs. To prevent the non-tribals from casting their votes in the upcoming ADCs election, we will insist that the GHADC prepares separate electoral rolls,” Momin added.
Meanwhile, KSU president, Daniel Khyriem has asked the State government to speed up the recommendations of the All Party Committee to study on the Election Commission’s (EC) voter enrolment guidelines.
“Before the State government submits its recommendations to the Election Commission of India the NGOs of the State should be kept in the loop about the report,” Khyriem said.
Meanwhile, the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) met during the general council meeting of the North East Students’ Organisation (NESO) on May 29 and 30 where the two students’ bodies discussed the Assam-Meghalaya border row especially Langpih.
Both organisations have decided to write to their respective state governments and the Centre to solve the border row at the earliest.
Meanwhile, NESO publicity secretary, Samuel Jyrwa, has slammed the Assam government for allowing the Nepali settlers to settle in the border villagers along the State leading to frequent conflicts with indigenous people of the State especially in Langpih.