Tura, April 16: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) MDC candidates held a strategic meeting today at the Tura TMC office to discuss the future of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) and address the current delay in the electoral process.
The meeting focused on the implementation of long-standing demands for the protection of indigenous rights and the necessity of conducting elections without further unnecessary extensions.
Welcoming the decision making ST status mandatory for contesting elections to the GHADC, the candidates formally acknowledged the successful implementation of the Mandatory Scheduled Tribe (ST) Certificate for all candidates contesting GHADC elections. This move, they said, was long demanded by the A·chik people and would ensure that the district council remains a safeguard for the indigenous community, prioritising the “Jat” (tribe) over political interests.
Following the directive issued by the Leader of Opposition, Dr Mukul Sangma, in a formal letter dated Mar 22, the candidates reiterated the need to amend the “Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951”. The goal is to formally adopt the “Garo Hills Autonomous District Amendment Rules, 2026”.
While the candidates acknowledged the constitutional framework used to postpone the election to restore peace, they firmly asserted that administrative tasks such as preparing Separate Electoral Rolls and completing Delimitation should not require a six-month window.
Further echoing Mukul’s communication to all MDCs, the party demanded that as soon as the legislative amendments are passed in the upcoming session, the government must conduct the GHADC Election 2026 immediately.
The leadership also called on all MDCs to transcend party lines and act collectively as “law makers” to secure the rights of the STs of Garo Hills
