M’laya Governor summons special session of GHADC

Meghalaya Governor C.H. Vijayashankar has summoned a two-day special session of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC on March 23 and 24.
The two-day session will deliberate on amendments to the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts Council Rules, 1951, an official said on condition of anonymity. According to the official, the proposed amendment will insert an eligibility criteria for candidates and voters in the GHADC elections.
The proposed amendment assumed significance in the backdrop of the recent communal violence erupting over the participation of non-tribals in the tribal council elections. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who oversees the DCA Department, confirmed the session’s focus on rule amendments and a vote on account.
Governor Viajayashankar had ordered the postponement of the election to the tribal council following violent clashes between the dominant Garo tribe and Bengali-speaking Muslims that broke out on March 9 over the controversial notification issued by the GHADC to bar non-tribals from contesting elections to the tribal council.
The then Executive Committee of the GHADC, under former Chief Executive Member Albinush Marak, had issued a notification barring non-tribal candidates from running in the council polls by insisting on Scheduled Tribe certificates when filing nominations. The Meghalaya High Court has quashed and set aside the GHADC’s notification, observing that it bypassed the required legislative procedures.
Former MLA S.G. Esmatur Mominin, a Bengali-speaking Muslim politician, however, defied the GHADC’s notification and attempted to file his nomination on March 9 as an Independent candidate from Shyamnagar constituency.
Unidentified miscreants who assembled in front of the DC office at Tura, assaulted him, which later led to large-scale communal violence.
Tura, the headquarters of West Garo Hills district, was rocked over the issue of non-tribals participating in the GHADC elections, prompting the government to postpone the polls, which were slated for April 10.
Albinush resigned as Chief Executive Member of GHADC before he could lose a no-confidence vote on March 16. He was replaced by Dhormonath Sangma.
The Meghalaya Cabinet had approved the extension of the term of the GHADC for a period of six months, from April 18 to October 18, 2026.