Shillong, March 24: Meghalaya Governor CH Vijayashankar on Tuesday approved the amendment to the Assam & Meghalaya Autonomous District (Constitution of District Council) Rules, 1951, following its unanimous passage during a Special Session of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council held on March 23, 2026.
The amended law, now titled the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (Constitution of District Council) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, mandates that only candidates possessing a valid Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate will be eligible to contest elections to the GHADC.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma expressed happiness over the Governor’s approval through a post on social media platform X.
The GHADC had approved the amendment to the AD Rules to bar non-tribal communities from contesting council elections, making it compulsory for candidates to hold ST certificates.
The move comes in the wake of strong opposition from sections of the Garo community against participation of non-tribal residents in GHADC elections, which had recently led to tensions and unrest in the Garo Hills region.
