The elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) will be held on April 9. This was confirmed by the Meghalaya Cabinet during a meeting held on Thursday chaired by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

The counting will take place on April 14.

The GHADC has 30 members- 29 elected and one member nominated by the Governor. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong while speaking to reporters said that the publication of draft electoral rolls will be on February 4 and the last date for filing of claims and objections is February 18.

Tynsong informed that a notification for calling the constituencies to elect the new members of the Council will be issued on March 8, and from this day, the model code of conduct will come into force.

The filing of nomination papers by the contesting candidates will start on March 8 and the last date for filing of nominations is March 15.

Scrutiny of nominations will be held on March 15 at 3 pm, and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 19.

The five-year term of the GHADC has expired on October 18, 2020.

But fresh elections could not be conducted because the state government has cited the COVID-19 situation, and the GHADC was handed over to the Governor for six months which will end on April 18.