Ladakh Lok Sabha seat | Uncertainty prevails as BJP undecided about its candidate

Kargil, Apr 21: Uncertainty prevails in Ladakh parliamentary constituency as BJP is undecided about its candidate.

The party had shortlisted a panel of three candidates for the upcoming Parliament elections. BJP’s indecision has triggered speculation that whether the party will field its candidate in the constancy or not.

Sources told Greater Kashmir that the BJP state unit Ladakh had last month finalised three names for the lone parliamentary seat in Ladakh, adding that the panel of the shortlisted three candidates had been sent to the party high command where the Party parliamentary board had to give its final approval

Sources said that the BJP unit Ladakh has shortlisted three names including sitting Member of Parliament Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh Chief Executive Councilor Advocate Tashi Gyalson, and Stanzin Lakpa, Councillor of Cha constituency in Kargil district. These three names were discussed and shortlisted by the state unit after thorough deliberations, they said. However, the high command has been undecided so far about whether fielding any of the candidate for Ladakh Lok Sabha seat or not.

Pertinently, the BJP has been facing a peculiar situation in fulfilling election commitment on the Sixth Schedule with opposition parties leveraging the party’s election manifestos released during the 2019 parliamentary elections and 2020 Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh poll to mount pressure on the saffron party ahead of Lok Sabha polls. The intense political pressure on the BJP from various religious, social and political groups is evident from its delay in finalising its candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Ladakh, which it won consecutively in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

A senior leader of the ruling BJP in Leh told Greater Kashmir that the state unit had shortlisted three candidates for the upcoming Parliament elections, adding that the party high command will decide about the final candidate.

"All eyes now turn to the national leadership as the anticipation builds regarding the chosen candidate who will represent BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections," he said.

Notably, in the 2019 parliamentary elections, young and firebrand BJP leader Jamyang Tsering Namgyal won the Lok Sabha seat of Ladakh with a margin of 10,930 votes against a popular Independent candidate Sajjad Kargili.

Interestingly, the Congress is to decide and take a call about the party candidates for the upcoming Parliament elections from Ladakh. The Congress and NC units in Ladakh part of I.N.D.I.A block have left the seat for congress as seat sharing agreement to contest. At present, the Ladakh seat is with the BJP.