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HomePoliticsBJP wins 15 seats in Ladakh Hill Council polls, Congress improves tally...

BJP wins 15 seats in Ladakh Hill Council polls, Congress improves tally to 9

BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who campaigned for the polls, calls it a big win, says the people of Leh stamped the decision of Modi govt to revoke Article 370.

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Srinagar: The BJP won 15 out of 26 seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) polls in Leh Monday, the first election held in the region after the scrapping of Article 370.

A total of 94 candidates from various political outfits were in the fray and 15 candidates fielded by the BJP were elected as councilors for the next five years. The Congress won in nine constituencies, while Independent candidates won on two seats.

Regional parties, including the National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), did not contest this time. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was contesting the polls for the first time, failed to open its account.

The BJP, however, failed to beat its previous record of winning 18 of the 26 seats in LAHDC elections in October 2015. The Congress, meanwhile, registered an improvement in its tally by winning on four more seats this time. It had won on five seats in the last elections. The NC had won on two seats, while one seat was won by an Independent.

The LAHDC Leh, which was formed in 1995 to strengthen local governance, has a total of 30 seats but elections are fought only on 26. The councilors for the renaming four seats are nominated by the party that wins the majority of the seats. The nominated members, however, have no voting rights within the body.

The BJP and Congress fielded its candidates on all 26 seats, while the AAP fielded on 19. Twenty-three Independent candidates were also in the fray.

Polls held amid boycott calls

With regional parties out of the race, the BJP was expected to get the lion’s share, given the Narendra Modi government’s decision to scrap Article 370 and divide the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories.

While Kargil division had opposed the Centre’s decision by observing shutdowns last year, the Leh region had welcomed revocation of special status for Jammu and Kashmir.

Around 89,700 voters exercised their franchise in the polls that were marred by protests since the dates were announced last month.

On 22 September, a group representing religious organisations, student groups and political parties in Leh unanimously decided to boycott the polls. The group — The Apex Body of People’s Movement for Sixth Schedule for Ladakh — represented local units of various political parties, including the BJP, AAP and Congress.

The alliance passed a resolution stating that local residents have demanded Ladakh be brought under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and constitutional safeguards on the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council.

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution for Ladakh region would reserve government jobs and ownership of land for locals only.


Also read: My comments were twisted, BJP supports all demands of Ladakh — J&K leader Ashok Koul’s U-turn


Leh ‘voted for change’

Although the group withdrew boycott calls later after assurances from the Centre, the BJP sent four Union ministers — Mukthar Abbas Naqvi, Kiren Rijiju, Anurag Thakur, and G. Krishna Reddy — to Leh to campaign for the party.

Speaking to ThePrint, Union Minister Naqvi said the people of the region have voted for change. “Besides voting for change, the people of Leh have stamped the decision of Modi government to revoke article 370. This is a big win for us,” said Naqvi over the phone.

Local politicians, however, believe that the intervention by Home Minister Amit Shah and the Centre aided the BJP to subvert a major embarrassment.

Senior Congress leader from Leh Rigzin Jora said the BJP bringing in multiple central ministers only showed how the party lacked confidence before the polls.

“We should remember that had the BJP not assured that the Sixth Schedule would not be given to Leh, no one would have participated in the polls. The alliance has people from all walks of life, from all political parties and religion. The Minister of State for Home Affairs GK Reddy has assured people here that the Sixth Schedule will be given. Our role in opposition would be to remind the BJP of its promise,” said Jora.


Also read: Why an ad for a coveted bank job has left Ladakh anxious 11 months after Article 370 move


 

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