After GHADC ST Rule, Meghalaya Debates Voter Rolls and Broader Reforms

Overview

• Four tribal groups asked the Governor to bar non-tribal voters in autonomous council elections after he approved an ST-certificate requirement for GHADC candidates.
• The Tura Garo Senior Citizens Forum urged a separate, ST-only electoral roll for GHADC, saying the Sixth Schedule was meant to keep non-tribal voters out of council polls.
• The NPP-led state government pressed the Khasi and Jaintia councils to adopt the GHADC model, with the Deputy Chief Minister saying he will write to both bodies.
• Former MLA John Lesley K. Sangma called the notification incomplete and pushed for changes to Rules 8(c) and 128, which now let non-tribal residents vote and then qualify to run.
• KHADC’s opposition leader urged reviving a stalled 2018 overhaul of district council rules, signaling a wider rewrite for Sixth Schedule bodies that protect tribal customs and land.