Governor gives assent to ADC Rule amendment to bar non-tribal candidates from contesting council polls
Our Bureau
SHILLONG/TURA, March 24: With history being rewritten following the Governor’s approval of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) amendment, making Scheduled Tribe certificates mandatory for all MDC poll aspirants, the Meghalaya government has decided to seize the momentum by formally requesting the KHADC and JHADC to adopt similar changes, effectively barring non-tribal candidates from MDC polls in the state.
Governor C.H. Vijayashankar on Tuesday granted assent to the amendment in the GHADC Rules, replacing Clause 8 with the words “only Scheduled Tribe,” making an ST certificate mandatory for contesting polls to the Council.
This historic amendment, passed unanimously by 26 GHADC MDCs in a special session on Monday, corrects a 74-year-old anomaly to ensure that the autonomous district councils—established under the Sixth Schedule for the protection and development of tribal communities—remain exclusively under indigenous control.
Deputy Chief Minister in charge of District Council Affairs, Prestone Tynsong, told media persons that since the amendment has been passed in the GHADC, the state government will write to the KHADC and JHADC to amend their respective Rules and send them to the Governor for approval.
He added that the next step for the GHADC involves revisiting the electoral rolls to completely disallow non-tribal people from voting in the GHADC polls.
Discussions on this crucial issue will be held on Wednesday, after which necessary instructions will be issued, he said.
Tynsong noted that the situation in Garo Hills is now calm and peaceful, and the people, especially in the hilly areas, are likely to welcome the amendment as it reflects their long-standing aspirations. “There should be no law and order issues now,” he reiterated.
The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) also strongly called upon the KHADC and JHADC to immediately follow the GHADC model. In a statement, FKJGP president Dundee Cliff Khongsit described the GHADC amendment as a “golden opportunity” and “timely” for the two councils to strengthen safeguards for indigenous communities.
Khongsit urged both councils to convene special sessions at the earliest to amend the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, thereby restricting non-tribals from both contesting and voting in district council elections.
He stressed that such steps are essential to protect the political and administrative rights of the Khasi-Pnar people over their own land and to prevent any loss of control over governance due to growing non-local influence.
Meanwhile, in Garo Hills, the development has been hailed as a historic victory for the A•chik people after decades of demands from various pressure groups.
Non-tribals, who had been able to contest GHADC elections since its inception in 1952, have been left dejected after the developments on Monday and Tuesday.
The amendment comes in the backdrop of recent unrest in Garo Hills triggered by non-tribal candidates filing nominations, which led to violence resulting in loss of two lives and extensive damage to property, postponement of elections, and a six-month extension of the GHADC Executive Committee’s term. Curfew and ban on mobile internet had remained in place for days.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma thanked the Governor for the approval and described the move as a defining step aligned with the spirit of tribal identity. He also publicly urged the KHADC and JHADC to pass similar amendments.
BJP’s Tura MDC, Bernard N. Marak, seen as one of the key movers behind the change, expressed ecstasy, calling it “a big day for the A•chik community” and a collective victory of the people, not attributable to any single party or individual.
The amended rules in GHADC are expected to hasten the announcement of the now-postponed elections. The state government has indicated that this is the first phase, with work on a separate electoral roll for the GHADC to follow in the coming months.
Both the government and indigenous organisations have expressed confidence that the KHADC and JHADC will seize this moment to align their frameworks with the interests of the Khasi and Pnar people, thereby preserving the sanctity of the autonomous district councils under the Sixth Schedule.
With attention now sharply turned to the KHADC and JHADC, political observers and indigenous organisations believe that if the two councils act swiftly and pass identical amendments, it will create a uniform policy across all three autonomous district councils in Meghalaya.
This would also represent a landmark consolidation of Sixth Schedule protections and send a clear message that the district councils are institutions meant primarily for the indigenous tribal population, they observed.
The state government is expected to play a facilitative role by providing necessary guidance and ensuring that the amendments from KHADC and JHADC reach the Governor’s desk at the earliest.
Once approved, the revised rules would not only bar non-tribals from contesting but also pave the way for preparation of separate electoral rolls exclusively for Scheduled Tribe voters in all the three autonomous district councils in the state.
