Ladakh: Independent candidate Haneefa Jan springs a surprise

Kargil, June 4: Independent candidate Muhammad Haneefa Jan sprang a surprise as he won the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, defeating his nearest opponent and Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal.

Jan came out victorious with a staggering margin of 27,862 votes defeating Indian National Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal.

Returning Officer for Ladakh parliamentary constituency Santosh Sukhadeve announced Jan as the winner for the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency.

Sharing details, the RO said that Jan got 64,443 votes through EVM and 816 postal ballot votes, while Tsering Namgyal got 35,770 EVM votes and 1627 postal ballot votes and Tashi Gyalson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 31,505 EVM votes and 451 votes through postal ballots while 912 votes went to NOTA.

Sukhadeve handed over the winning certificate to Jan.

After being declared the winner, Jan thanked the people of Leh and Kargil districts for making him victorious.

He said that the result of the Ladakh parliamentary constituency was much better than he had anticipated.

Jan said that he would raise the voice for the people of Ladakh in and outside the Parliament.

“I will raise the voice and the demands which Ladakh wants for its safeguards and development,” he said. “My four demands include Statehood for Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under Sixth Schedule, job reservations and setting up of a Public Service Commission (PSC), and two separate Parliament seats for Leh and Kargil districts.”

Jan was fielded by the Ladakh Democratic Alliance (LDA), an amalgam of social, religious, and political groups in the Kargil district as an independent candidate.

Jan, a former District President of the National Conference (NC), is the fourth independent candidate to win the seat since it was constituted in 1967.

The seat was won by independents in 1989, 2004, and 2009 general elections.

The BJP won the seat in the 2014 general elections and retained it in 2019.

The Congress has won the seat the maximum six times, while the NC emerged victorious from the seat twice in the past.

Meanwhile, National Conference Vice President and former chief minister Omar Abdullah extended greetings to Jan.

“To @HajiHanifa I’m very happy for you today. A few months ago, you tasted defeat in the Hill Council elections and now you will represent Ladakh, especially the marginalised people of Kargil in the Lok Sabha. Your victory cost @JKNC_ its Kargil unit but it was well worth the price,” Abdullah posted on X.

Chief Executive Councillor LAHDC, Kargil, Muhammad Jaffer Akhoon also congratulated Jan.

“Congratulations Haji Muhammad Haneefa Jan on getting a clear mandate from the people of Ladakh and winning the Lok Sabha seat from Ladakh with a massive margin. The victory has proved the commitment of the people of Ladakh to securing their interests and to stand with the leaders committed to working to secure the future of Ladakh. I am optimistic that you will collectively work with the LAHDCs to drive Ladakh on the path of development and prosperity. I wish you great success in the new role,” Akhoon said.

Kargil Democratic Alliance Co-chairmen Asgar Ali Karbalai and Qamar Ali Akhoon and prominent social-political activist from Kargil, Sajjad Hussain Kargili congratulated Jan and wished him the best.