States » EastPosted at: Oct 1 2026 3:06PM


Meghalaya Governor grants assent to GHADC separate electoral roll

Shillong, Oct 1 (UNI) Meghalaya Governor C.H. Vijayashankar has granted assent to an amendment to the voter rules of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), restricting voting and candidacy exclusively to indigenous tribal communities.
According to a gazette notification published on September 30, the amendment to the voter rules under the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules was passed by the GHADC on August 10, 2026, and received the Governor’s assent on September 28, 2026.
As per the amendment, a voter must be “a member of a Scheduled Tribe specified in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, in relation to the State of Meghalaya.”
The voting age was also brought down from 21 to 18.
There will now be a separate electoral roll for every constituency within the GHADC for elections to the council. The rolls will be prepared constituency-wise by the Returning Officer with reference to the new qualification. No person will be entitled to vote unless their name is registered in the electoral roll of the constituency concerned.
The GHADC restricted the franchise after communal violence erupted in the Garo Hills region in March 2026, following violent protest from pressure groups to bar non-tribals from contesting or voting in district council polls.
The GHADC election was delayed by six months, to October, though they may yet be postponed further.
Under the Sixth Schedule to the Indian Constitution, Meghalaya has three district councils - for the Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills - to safeguard tribal autonomy, culture, and governance.
The autonomous councils also have the power on myriad issues such as forests, tax collection, and so on. UNI RRK AAB
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