Our Bureau
TURA/SHILLONG, March 23: Acting on expected lines, the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) on Monday unanimously passed an amendment that seeks to resolve a 74-year-old controversy by making a valid Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate compulsory for all candidates contesting its elections.
This is the first step in the move to bar non-tribals from contesting GHADC elections.
The amendment bill will have to be forwarded to the District Council Affairs Department which will, in turn, forward it to the Governor for assent.
This is also the first time since the Sixth Schedule was introduced in 1950 that any autonomous district council has taken such a step.
The Sixth Schedule provides that all non-tribals residing under the council’s jurisdiction for 12 years are entitled to vote in MDC elections.
Monday’s decision follows violent unrest that shook the Garo Hills region, particularly West Garo Hills, earlier this month resulting in two deaths and extensive damage to property. The ruling National People’s Party, which was the “primary target” of the mob during the three-day violence, had postponed the GHADC elections due on April 10 by six months to give sufficient time to the new Executive Committee headed by Dhormonath Ch. Sangma to bring in the necessary amendment through legislative means.
The landmark amendment to the Assam & Meghalaya Autonomous District (Constitution of District Council) Rules, 1951, was passed on the first day of a two-day special session on Monday. A total of 26 MDCs unanimously passed the amendment that legally bars non-tribals from contesting any future GHADC polls.
The session, set to conclude on Tuesday, was convened to addresses the long-standing ethnic tensions over non-tribals’ rights to contest and vote in GHADC elections, an issue left unlegislated since the Council’s inception in June 1952.
An attempt by former Chief Executive Member (CEM) Albinush R. Marak to issue a notification making ST certificate compulsory for contesting GHADC elections was quashed by the Meghalaya High Court as it did not pass the legal benchmark.
In response, the Conrad K. Sangma-led NPP brought a no-confidence motion against Albinush who resigned just before voting on the motion, leading to the change of guard in the GHADC.
Following the amendment, thousands of jubilant supporters converged on the NPP office in Tura, where Conrad declared it a “historic victory” for the A•chik community, underscoring GHADC’s core purpose to protect tribal autonomy and ensure self-governance.
The Chief Minister further announced that the Council will take necessary steps to address the long-standing demand for a separate electoral roll for the GHADC to completely bar non-tribals from voting in the MDC elections.
Cabinet Ministers Marcuise N. Marak and Timothy D. Shira, Speaker Thomas A. Sangma, along with party MLAs, were present at the NPP office to mark the occasion and celebrate what was described as a victory of the people.
In Shillong, NPP senior leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar hailed the amendment in the GHADC as exemplary and added that similar reforms in the KHADC and the JHADC will be implemented in due course of time.
