5-year term of LAHDC Leh nears end

Kargil, Oct : Clouds of uncertainty hover over the holding of fresh elections for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh later this year in the aftermath of recent unrest in Ladakh and the weather conditions - the cold desert witnesses from November till March.

Amid the given situation, the Ladakh Union Territory administration faces a severe test and is most unlikely to hold fresh elections for the LAHDC Leh, the five-year term of which ends on November 2.

Amid the prevailing tension and curbs following the September 24 violence, besides approaching winters, political observers believe the elections are likely to be delayed.

Although curfew has been gradually eased and the situation is slowly returning to normal, tension still lingers on in Leh over the September 24 violence.

For timely elections, the notification had to be issued between September 20 and 25 to conduct polls around October 27-28 and complete the entire exercise by November 1 so that a new Council would have been in place in time.

However, the timeline has lapsed and there has been no effort by the Union Territory administration of Ladakh to undertake the exercise.

Further, adding to the complexities is the pending restructuring of Ladakh’s administrative boundaries. The Ministry of Home Affairs last year approved the creation of five new districts in Ladakh, increasing the total to seven—including Leh and Kargil. However, these new districts are yet to be operationalised on the ground.

Besides formal creation of new districts and 33 percent reservation to women, September 24 violence also became a major hurdle in the conduct of the Hill Council elections.

On December 3, 2024, the Union Home Ministry, in a meeting of the High-Powered Committee (HPC) with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), had announced 33 percent reservation for both Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils. However, even after 10 months, no order has been issued by the administration for undertaking an exercise to identify 33 percent seats to be reserved for the women in Leh Council where elections are due.

Since three new districts have been carved out of existing Leh district and two from existing Kargil district, the Home Ministry has to take a call whether all seven new districts will get the Hill Councils or there will be a new mechanism in place.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir, former Member of Parliament and Leh Apex body co-chairman Chewang Dorjey said that the decision about holding an election was to be taken by the UT administration.

“In the given situation when people are disappointed and disheartened, fresh elections seem unlikely. People here are not happy with the Centre and UT administration as their genuine concerns and demands are not being fulfilled. Further, the September 24 incident and its aftermath have left people in shock and unhappy. Given this scenario, we don’t see the elections in near future,” Dorjay said.

Convener Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Ladakh unit T Phunsong also believes that the fresh elections in Leh are unlikely to be held.

“As of now the administration and leadership both want Ladakh to be on track and the situation is fully stable and normal, only then any further developments can be seen happening,” Phunsong told Greater Kashmir.

He said that people were ready for the elections. “But after the unfortunate September 24 incident the mood is completely different. The weather conditions will also be a factor on this account,” he added.

Political observers say that there has been a provision in the Hill Council Constitution for delay in elections by six months.

During the period, either term of the Council can be extended or powers can be given to the concerned Deputy Commissioner.

“With no chance of timely elections to the Hill Council now, the Union Territory administration of Ladakh has to take a call in consultations with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on whether to extend term of the Council or accord powers to the Deputy Commissioner beyond November 2, 2025 when five-year term of the Council will expire,” they point out.

Notably, Both Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils have 30 seats each. Of them, elections are held for 26 seats while four Councillors are nominated by the UT administration.

Elections were held in October 2020 for the 26 seats of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. It was also the first election after Ladakh was carved out of J&K and made a separate union territory.

The Bharatiya Janata Party won 15 and formed the government with a majority while the Indian National Congress won 9 seats out of the 26 seats. The other 2 seats were won by the independent candidates.

Tashi Gyalson of the Bharatiya Janata Party was elected the Chief Executive Councillor. The previous elections were held in 2015.

The BJP has been in power in the Leh Hill Development Council for the second consecutive term.

It came to power for the first time in 2015 and retained power in 2020 with a majority. Prior to that, the Hill Council was mostly ruled by the Congress.

Meanwhile, LAB and KDA are reportedly waiting for the MHA response to their demands raised for resumption of talks with the central government.

The talks were scheduled for October 6 in New Delhi but the LAB had called off the dialogue post September 24 violence demanding judicial inquiry into firing on protesters and release of all those arrested or detained after the violence including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.