By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 4: Citing demographic “threats” in coal-mining hubs, the Jaintia Students’ Union (JSU) has moved the state government to bar non-tribals from voting or contesting in the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) elections by making Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates mandatory for the electoral roll.
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, the JSU urged the government to seek the Governor’s approval to amend the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous District Council (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951. The proposed changes to Rule 8 and Rule 128 would require all candidates and voters to produce a valid ST certificate, effectively ensuring that only “bona fide indigenous inhabitants” participate in the council’s democratic process.
The Union highlighted a significant non-tribal presence in areas such as Lad Rymbai, Lakroh, and various urban localities associated with the coal trade. According to the JSU, these demographic shifts have led to an “increasing number of non-tribal individuals possessing voting rights,” which they argue compromises the authenticity of the electoral rolls. To address this, the Union called for the immediate implementation of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the Jaintia Hills. The JSU pointed to similar electoral revisions in West Bengal as a precedent for removing “unauthorised entries” and maintaining the credibility of the rolls.
The memorandum stated that such measures are necessary to safeguard the political rights, identity, and land of the indigenous tribal population. The JSU argued that the steady rise in non-tribal voters necessitates immediate corrective action to preserve the original intent of the District Council as a protector of indigenous interests.
