Shillong

The Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said no infiltrator should be allowed to contest elections anywhere in the country, including in polls to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).

In a statement, BJP state president Rikman G Momin said the GHADC, constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, was established to safeguard the land, rights and self-governance of indigenous tribes and such protections should not be diluted.

“Whether it is the tribal autonomous district council polls, the Assembly elections, or the Parliamentary elections, no infiltrator should be permitted to infiltrate any of these democratic processes anywhere in India,” he said.

The opposition Voice of the People's Party (VPP) also raised concerns about non-Garo individuals participating in the council elections and urged the government to uphold constitutional safeguards for indigenous communities.

Momin alleged that infiltrators were attempting to enter the electoral process in tribal areas by marrying into local communities and obtaining identity documents such as Aadhaar cards, voter identity cards and ration cards to present themselves as legitimate residents.

“This is not migration but a systematic subversion of identity, tribal rights and the electoral process,” he said, adding that the party was discussing stricter legal measures to curb such practices.

The remarks come amid tensions in the Garo Hills region over the postponed GHADC elections, which saw protests and violence in parts of West Garo Hills.

According to officials, two people were killed during clashes over the participation of non-tribal candidates in the council polls, prompting authorities to impose curfew and deploy security forces.

The GHADC, headquartered in Tura, is one of the autonomous district councils set up under the Sixth Schedule to provide administrative autonomy and protect the customs, traditions and land rights of tribal communities in the region.

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Momin said the BJP’s central leadership stood firmly with the indigenous communities of Meghalaya and assured that the Centre was ready to assist the state government in restoring peace in the Garo Hills region.