Cabinet decision prompted by ongoing SIR, delimitation
Shillong, Oct 7: Election to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) has been deferred further as the state government extended its term for another six months in view of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and delimitation of constituencies.
The cabinet decision on Wednesday was taken in view of the current six-month extension going to end on October 17.
With this extension, the government has exhausted the provision of one-year extension for the ADC.
The GHADC elections scheduled earlier this year had to be deferred due to law-and-order issues in Garo Hills over voting right of non-tribal persons in the Council elections.
Extension of the GHADC term by another six months was the key agenda of the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, according to MDA spokesperson and cabinet minister Wailadmiki Shylla.
“Because of the unfortunate incident, which happened in Garo Hills, we could not hold the election and (now) we extended it for six months,” he said.
The minister said the GHADC term had to be extended as its term was going to end on October 17, by when the SIR and delimitation exercises would not be complete.
“There is provision that we can extend the election in totality for one year i.e. six plus six months. Keeping in mind the delimitation is still on and will complete soon, the cabinet has approved extension (of GHADC) for another six months,” he said.
“We hope within six months we can complete the GHADC election,” Shylla added.
