Shillong: Amid unrest in the Garo Hills over the participation of non-tribals in tribal council elections, the Meghalaya cabinet on Monday extended the tenure of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council by six months.The decision came as the council underwent a leadership change. Hours before the cabinet announcement, NPP leader Albinush R Marak resigned as chief executive member amid a no-confidence motion backed by 21 members. Later, the GHADC elected fellow NPP leader Dhormonath Ch Sangma as the new chief executive member and formed a new executive committee.Deputy CM Prestone Tynsong said the decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired virtually by CM Conrad K Sangma, with the extension of the current GHADC House as the sole agenda.“After detailed deliberation, the cabinet has decided to extend the term of the present House for six months, from April 18 to Oct 18, 2026,” Tynsong told reporters.The move follows violence in Tura and nearby areas last week after the council issued a notification barring non-tribals from contesting elections. The protests escalated into clashes with security forces, vandalism of govt and private property, and arson.At least two people were killed and several others were injured in the violence. The govt subsequently postponed the polls, which had been scheduled for April 10, with counting on April 14.Tynsong said the extension would create room for talks between the govt, the council and stakeholders on concerns over candidate eligibility.“We leave it to the wisdom of the new executive committee to take a call on the issue of Scheduled Tribe or on the issue of contesting elections, both by tribals and non-tribals, as far as GHADC is concerned,” he said.Dismissing opposition allegations that the extension was politically driven, Tynsong said the decision was intended to restore normalcy and respond to public concerns.Earlier in the day, Dhormonath secured support from 17 NPP members and four opposition Trinamool Congress members. The group had informed governor CH Vijayashakar on Saturday that they had lost confidence in Marak’s leadership in the 30-member council.Marak submitted his resignation to the GHADC chairman before a no-confidence motion could be taken up during a special session of the council.Governor Vijayashakar had convened the special session after unrest in West Garo Hills over a controversial notification by the council’s executive committee making possession of Scheduled Tribe certificates mandatory for candidates contesting the polls.The Meghalaya high court has since quashed the notification, holding that it bypassed the required legislative procedures.
