Shillong, Sep 30: Elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council are set for a fundamental change, with only Scheduled Tribe voters to be part of its electoral roll.
Governor C H Vijayashankar has approved amendments to the council election rules, clearing the way for the state government to formally notify the GHADC Second Amendment Rules 2026. Once notified, the changes will be incorporated into the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts Constitution of District Councils Rules 1951, which lay down the functioning and poll process of autonomous councils.
The amended rules make tribal status compulsory for anyone contesting the GHADC elections and also restrict voting rights to ST electors. A separate electoral roll will be prepared for the council polls, doing away with the existing practice of using the Assembly electoral roll.
The amendments were taken up after the GHADC’s earlier attempt to enforce mandatory ST certificate for candidates through an executive notification was set aside by the Meghalaya High Court. The court had ruled that such a stipulation must be introduced through proper rulemaking and not by an executive order. The council had already amended Rule 8 on March 23 and later set up a committee in May 2025 to look into the feasibility of a separate tribal roll and other election provisions. The fresh amendment Bill was passed on August 10 after the Governor permitted its introduction on August 6.
The state government has said the move is aimed at protecting the rights of indigenous communities and ensuring that governance structures created for tribal people remain accountable to them
