SHILLONG : The Meghalaya government has backed the creation of a separate electoral roll for Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections after the council amended Rules 128 and 129 on August 10.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the change would restrict voting in GHADC elections to Meghalaya residents belonging to the Scheduled Tribe category.
“The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council has recently amended the rules—Rule 128 and 129—which was done on the 10th of August,” Conrad said. He described the move as “a very, very important step forward” because it would create a separate electoral roll for the council.“
And as it has been mentioned in that amendment, that only residents, citizens belonging to Scheduled Tribe of Meghalaya will be able to vote in the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council elections,” he said.
Conrad said the decision was also connected to commitments made by the state government and the broader effort to protect the rights of tribal communities. “This also goes in line with the different commitments that have been made from our side also as a government,” he said.
He added that the amendment was an important step towards protecting “the identity and the different rights of the tribal community” of Meghalaya.
The GHADC amendments to Rules 128 and 129 provide for a separate electoral roll for council elections instead of relying on the electoral roll prepared for Assembly elections. Recent reports have described the change as a major shift in the council’s electoral system.
A separate electoral roll has been a long-standing demand in Garo Hills.
GHADC had also constituted a committee in 2025 to examine election rules and the framework for a separate electoral roll.
