Shillong : The Meghalaya government on Wednesday announced that the elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) have been postponed indefinitely following days of unrest in the Garo Hills region.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said the decision was taken after considering the prevailing situation and the sentiment of the people in the region. The announcement came amid tension and violence in West Garo Hills, where two people reportedly lost their lives and curfew has been imposed in several areas.
In a video statement, the Chief Minister said the government had carefully reviewed the situation before deciding to defer the polls.
“Keeping the current situation that is prevailing in Garo Hills right now and keeping in mind the sentiment of the people, the government of Meghalaya has decided to postpone the GHADC elections,” he said.
Sangma added that the government will hold further discussions to determine the next course of action regarding the election process.
The development comes a day after the Meghalaya High Court quashed a notification issued by the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council requiring candidates to produce Scheduled Tribe certificates while filing nominations.
Meanwhile, civil society groups have expressed differing views over the participation of non-tribal candidates in the council elections. Authorities in West Garo Hills have also extended the curfew for another two days as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
Due to the prevailing situation, the Meghalaya Board of School Education has cancelled the Class X examinations scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in the district.
Officials said further updates regarding the GHADC election schedule will be announced after reviewing the situation.