Shillong: The State Government, through the Department of District Council Affairs (DCA), has announced a six-month extension for the term of office of the Members of District Councils (MDCs) of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) and the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC).
This extension comes in light of the ongoing delimitation of constituencies and also based on Sub-Para (6A) of Paragraph 2 of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, the Governor of Meghalaya has take into consideration to delay the MDC elections for both councils.
According to the notification, the extension of the MDCs’ term is necessary, as per the powers conferred upon the Governor under Sub-Para (6A) of Paragraph 2 of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, read along with Sub-Rule (1) of Rule 7 of the Assam and Meghalaya Districts (Constitution of District Councils) Rules, 1951. The Governor announced that the extension of another six months will be effective from September 5, 2024, as this additional time is deemed necessary to properly prepare for the upcoming elections in both councils.
Initially, the MDCs’ term was set to expire on September 5, 2024. However, due to the ongoing constituency delimitation, the term has now been extended by another six months, with elections expected to take place in February of next year.
