Election campaigning for LAHDC Kargil gains momentum

Ganderbal: The election campaigning for the 5th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, is gaining momentum with candidates and leaders from different political parties pulling all stops to ensure they can catch the voters’ attention.

National Conference (NC) Vice President and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister, Omar Abdullah is joining the election campaign for the LAHDC, Kargil.

The election campaign for LAHDC, Kargil, is underway and the polling will be held on October 4. Earlier, the polling was scheduled to be held on September 10, however, after the Supreme Court’s verdict earlier this month, a re-notification of the 5th General LAHDC elections was issued by the election authorities of Ladakh Union Territory which set the date of polls for October 4 and counting on October 8.

The entire election process would be completed before October 11.

Following the SC’s judgement, the Ladakh UT administration has also reserved the “plough” symbol for NC in the LAHDC, Kargil, polls in the fresh notification.

This would be the first elections in Kargil after August 5, 2019, when two UTs – J&K and Ladakh – were carved out from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ahead of the 5th General Autonomous Hill Development Council elections, the entire Kargil district is abuzz with political activities first time since Ladakh was made a UT in August 2019.

In the recent past, various senior BJP leaders including union ministers visited Kargil to campaign for the party.

Sources said that NC vice president Omar Abdullah would visit Kargil on September 30 where a public rally is scheduled by the NC Kargil unit.

He would address the rally and seek support for the coalition candidates.

NC and Congress have announced a pre-poll alliance for the upcoming LAHDC Kargil elections.

Sources said that Omar Abdullah would be accompanied by some other senior NC leaders from Kashmir including Nasir Aslam Wani.

NC senior leaders in Kargil including Qamar Ali Akhoon and Haji Hanifa Jan are making arrangements for the public rally to ensure a major participation of people.

A senior NC leader from Kargil also confirmed the scheduled visit of Omar Abdullah on Wednesday. Political parties and independent candidates have already started door-to-door campaigning.

They have also come up with their separate election manifesto and agenda for the election.

A total of 85 candidates are in the fray for the 26 Hill Development Council constituencies.

An official said that out of the 85 candidates, 25 are independent, 17 are from BJP, 22 are from Congress, 17 are from NC, and four are from AAP.

He said 278 polling stations have been set up in the district.

“All the preparations are done for a smooth and fair election,” the official said.

NC and Congress announced a pre-poll alliance ahead of the LAHDC Kargil general elections.

Both NC and INC are also part of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), an amalgam of political, social, religious, and trade organisations seeking statehood for Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, and separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would go alone in the hill council elections.

In the 2018 elections, BJP won only one seat.

The previous LAHDC Kargil was headed by NC leader Feroz Ahmad Khan.

Political observers said that the contest is seen to be between the NC-Congress alliance and BJP.

The autonomous hill councils in both the Kargil and Leh districts are key to local governance and development.

Since the change in the status of the erstwhile state of J&K, locals have claimed that the council has lost most of its powers to the UT administration.

The first hill council was formed in 1995 for the Leh division and later in Kargil in 2003, where the last council polls were held in 2018.

The councils are elected for a term of five years.

The council has 30 members of which 26 are directly elected.

The four remaining seats are nominated.

A Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) with a portfolio equivalent to a cabinet minister leads the council with an executive committee of five members.