A conglomeration of pressure groups in Garo Hills has called for a boycott of the upcoming Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) election because of the participation of non-tribals in the polls.
Elections to the 29 seats in GHADC will be held on April 9. Congress, NPP and UDP have announced their partial lists of candidates for the polls.
Opposing the voting right of non-tribals in the GHADC polls, the Garo Students Union, FKJGP, Association for Democracy and Empowerment (ADE) and A’chik Youth Welfare Organisation (AYWO) today said that since 2007 they had been raising the demand for a separate electoral roll for GHADC elections. They also mentioned that they also called for a successful boycott of the 2010 municipal elections over the participation of non-tribals.
“In 2015, we boycotted the GHADC elections over the issue of non-tribal participation. We are not able to go on a tour across Garo Hills this time due to the Covid situation. However, we are once again calling for a boycott of the GHADC elections until our demands are met,” the four organisations added.
The NGOs requested the indigenous people of Garo Hills to support the call for boycott if non-tribals are allowed to vote or contest the GHADC polls.
