NC-Congress sweep LAHDC-Kargil polls. ‘Message to those who divided J&K,’ says Omar

In elections for 26 seats held 4 October, the two INDIA allies secured 22 seats. BJP, which had 3 members in council before it was dissolved won 2 seats, 2 Independents won a seat each.

Paramilitary personnel stand guard as NC and Congress supporters wait outside amid the counting of votes for the fifth Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil election, in Kargil, Sunday | ANI

New Delhi: In Kargil’s first election since Ladakh was stripped of its special status in 2019 and the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two Union territories — Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir — the Congress and National Conference (NC) alliance secured a clear majority in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil. The two INDIA alliance partners secured a total of 22 seats, with the Congress victorious on 10 and the NC on 12.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had three members in the council before it was dissolved, was reduced to two seats, while two Independents won a seat each.

Elections for 26 seats were held 4 October. There are four members nominated by the Union Territory administration which is headed by a Centre-appointed lieutenant governor, thereby giving an edge to the BJP. The majority mark in the 30-member council is 16.

The chief executive councillor, who heads the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), possesses the rank and powers of a cabinet minister while the appointed executive councillors hold the rank and status of deputy minister. 

During the 2018 elections, the NC had secured 10 seats while the Congress got eight. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured two seats, BJP one, and there were five Independents. Two PDP members later joined the BJP, taking its tally to three.

Celebrating Sunday’s win, Congress general secretary in-charge of organisation, K.C. Venugopal took to X Sunday and wrote: “We have registered a resounding victory in the Ladakh-Kargil Autonomous Hill Council elections after 10 years! Along with our INDIA partner National Conference, we have swept the entire region in its first election after the abrogation of Art. 370.”

Meanwhile, NC leader Omar Abdullah wrote, “The BJP was dealt a resounding defeat at the hands of the NC-Congress alliance in Kargil today. In celebration of our strong alliance with the Congress party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference is delighted to announce its victory in the LAHDC Kargil elections. This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without the consent of its people.” 

High pitch campaign

Days ahead of the election, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was on a visit to the UT in August, where he interacted with various sections of the society. During a rally in the poll-bound Kargil, he raised the issue of the alleged occupation of Chinese land in Ladakh.

Meanwhile, former chief minister and senior NC leader Omar Abdullah campaigned for his party. “They (BJP) are showing their hatred towards Muslims openly. They need to answer questions before coming here asking for votes,” Abdullah had said a week ahead of polling. He added, “They have lost the moral ground to stand before the public.” 

The NC also had to fight it out in courts to field its candidates on its “plough” symbol after the state election commission notified the polls without taking a decision on the party’s representation to allot it the symbol. The Supreme Court, however, ruled in favour of the regional party. 

From the BJP, Union minister Meenakshi Lekhi and party’s national general secretary Tarun Chugh campaigned. Apart from the two, Ladakh’s Lok Sabha MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal is also from BJP.

Congratulating the two winning BJP candidates and reacting to the party’s performance, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal wrote on X, “We’ve come a long way, with 10,844 votes compared to 2,588 in 2018 & two seats wins, up from 1 last time. Kudos to our 15 other candidates, though we narrowly lost some seats.”

Kargil & Leh, their issues

The UT of Ladakh has two districts — Kargil and Leh. Kargil is a hilly district covering an area of 14,086 sq. km. According to the 2011 census, it has a population of 1.4 lakh people of which over three-fourths, or 1.08 lakh, are Muslims. Buddhists make up about 20,000 and Hindus 10,000.  

The district lies between the Muslim-dominated Kashmir region and the Buddhist-dominated Leh district. 

While the LAHDC came into existence in Leh in 1995, Kargil got it seven years later, in 2003. Both the councils have a five-year term. 

While there have been tensions simmering between Kargil and Leh, the two districts have lately been on the same page over four demands — statehood, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil, and job reservation. The agitating bodies, which also staged protests in Delhi earlier this year, are led by umbrella outfits, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), from the two districts. 

Though the agitation began in 2021, the voices behind it gained traction post the nullification of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Ladakhi engineer and environmentalist Sonam Wankchuk’s  five-day ‘climate fast’ brought national attention to the issue.

Both the Congress and the NC are a part of the KDA, as reported by local media, and may have gained in these elections from the association.