Shillong, Aug 14: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has welcomed the creation of a separate electoral roll for Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) elections, terming the initiative as a key step to safeguard tribal identity.
The GHADC amended Rules 128 and 129 on August 10 to restrict voting in Council elections only to residents belonging to the Scheduled Tribe community of Meghalaya.
“This is a very important step forward, as this is going to create a separate electoral roll for the GHADC,” Sangma said.
“As has been mentioned in that amendment, only residents and citizens belonging to the Scheduled Tribe of Meghalaya will be able to vote in the GHADC elections,” he added.
The Chief Minister said the decision aligns with the state government’s commitments to tribal communities.
“This also goes in line with the different commitments that have been made from our side, and also as a government. We are happy that this is an important step towards protecting the identity and the different rights of the tribal community of the state of Meghalaya,” Sangma said.
