Guwahati: Members from the National People’s Party (NPP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have reportedly come together in an effort to alter the leadership of Meghalaya’s Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC).
According to party insiders, MDCs from both the NPP and TMC are planning to remove the current Chief Executive Member (CEM) and establish a new Executive Council to run the GHADC.
Sources also indicated that the legislators supporting this initiative recently met C. H. Vijayashankar, the Governor of Meghalaya, and informed him about the ongoing developments related to the proposed leadership change.
The GHADC consists of 29 elected members along with one nominated member. As per sources, the combined number of MDCs belonging to the NPP and TMC currently stands at 23, which gives them a clear majority in the council.
Meanwhile, the GHADC is scheduled to convene a special sitting on Monday to consider a no-confidence motion after the Governor received a representation signed by 21 MDCs. In the petition, the members stated that they no longer have faith in the present CEM, Albinush Marak.
The request for the special meeting was submitted on Saturday, and permission for the session was granted soon after. Later, the District Council Affairs Department (DCA) issued an official notification announcing the decision.
The notification stated that, using the authority provided under sub-rule (5) of Rule 36 of the Assam and Meghalaya Autonomous Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951, as amended by the GHADC, the Governor has called a council meeting on March 16 at 11 am at the District Council Hall in Tura.
The session will primarily take up proceedings under Rule 22(1), along with any other matters that may arise.
As per the established rules, the Chairman of the council will conduct the proceedings during the session.
These political developments come at a time when the current council’s term is due to expire on April 18. However, the state government will ultimately decide the next course of action regarding the council.
Sources further revealed that the government is considering whether the tenure of the council should be extended given the present circumstances.
Legal provisions governing autonomous district councils allow their terms to be prolonged under exceptional conditions, including emergencies or natural disasters, provided the Governor grants approval.
Some members, however, said that extending the council’s term without an officially declared emergency could face legal objections.