Meghalaya cuts voter age and slashes nomination period for Garo Hills council polls

The Meghalaya government has overhauled key electoral rules for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 and cutting the nomination filing window from three weeks to just one week — changes that will significantly reshape how elections to the council are conducted.

The amendments revise the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, bringing the council's electoral framework closer in line with mainstream election norms in India.

The reduction in the nomination period is among the more striking changes. Candidates now have one week — down from three — to file their papers, a move that streamlines the process but also leaves less room for last-minute contestants to enter the race.

The rules have also been eased on the question of nomination support. A candidate now needs only one proposer to file a nomination, replacing the earlier requirement of two persons.

The government has also done away with the practice of listing contesting candidates in alphabetical order on the ballot. The new arrangement follows guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India under the Representation of the People Act and the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968. Under this system, recognised national and state parties will be listed first, followed by registered political parties, with independent candidates placed at the bottom.

The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council is one of the three district councils operating under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which grants a degree of self-governance to tribal communities in the north-east. Bringing its election rules in step with national norms has been a long-pending administrative exercise.