Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 30: As first-ever PDP-BJP Alliance completes eight months in power on November 1, they proposed to create another first in Ladakh by entering into historic alliance to form joint Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh on November 3 in the presence of Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and other senior PDP and BJP leaders including BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, the architect of the alliance between two parties and BJP Incharge for J&K Avinash Rai Khanna.
Election Authority for Leh (Deputy Commissioner Prasanna Ramaswamy) has notified November 3 for electing new Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) of the LAHDC Leh, which will be followed by appointment of 4 Executive Councilors.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Mufti Sayeed, Dr Nirmal Singh, Ram Madhav and Avinash Rai Khanna besides other senior leaders of the PDP and BJP would be present in Leh on November 3 during election of the LAHDC Leh CEC and address newly elected Councilors of the BJP and public to convey their gratitude to the people of Leh for ousting the Congress from power in the Council and voting BJP to two-thirds majority.
Though the PDP had drawn blank in the elections, sources said out of four Councilors to be nominated to the LAHDC Leh, the PDP will get two or three and one of them was likely to join the Council as the Executive Councilor to ensure that the PDP-BJP alliance in the State percolated down to the Leh Council. As already reported, both the parties will be holding first ever joint public meeting in Srinagar on November 7, which will be addressed among others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The BJP had won 18 seats followed by Congress 5, NC 2 and Independent one in the election held for 26 seats of the LAHDC Leh. However, the LAHDC Leh Constitution authorized the State Government to nominate four Councilors to the Council, which has total strength of 30. Of them, there could be at least two PDP leaders from Leh district and, according to sources, one of them was likely to be appointed as the Executive Councilor.
The CEC LAHDC Leh has the status of Cabinet Minister while four Executive Councils have the rank of Deputy Ministers. As per the Constitutional provision, the LAHDC Leh and Kargil can have only four Executive Councilors, Incharge of different departments.
The Deputy Commissioner, Leh serves as Chief Executive Officer to the LAHDC Leh.
Sources said though the BJP has won two-thirds majority on its own in the Council winning 18 out of 26 seats and would also get one or two leaders nominated to the Council in the quota of four, it has decided to incorporate atleast one PDP nominated Councilor as the Executive Councilor to ensure that the two parties formed the Council in Leh in perfect harmony.
The Chief Minister, they said, has also agreed to join the CEC election ceremony in Leh on November 3 along with the BJP leaders. They will address the BJP Councilors and the gathering and assure full development of Leh district under the command of new Council and the PDP-BJP Government.
As per the rules governing the Council, the Deputy Commissioner Leh in his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer of LAHDC Leh has called the newly elected Councilors to meet on November 3 to elect the new CEC. The Government can nominate four Councilors before elections of the CEC as they all have the voting rights but the PDP-BJP Government has decided to go for nominations after the Council is formed as the BJP would get its CEC elected safely with two-thirds majority.
BJP sources said though first time Councilor from Thiksay Dr Sonam Dawa was front runner for the post of the CEC, the names of three Councilors, who have been elected for second consecutive term to the Council were also being considered for the coveted post. They included Lobzang Nyantak (Upper Leh), Dorjay Mutup (Kungyam) and Gyal Punchok Wangyal (Sakti). They were Councilors in the outgoing Council also when BJP had only four Councilors as against 22 of the Congress.
A final decision will, however, be taken by the senior party leaders including Ram Madhav, Dr Nirmal Singh, Thupstan Chhewang, BJP MP from Ladakh, Cooperative Minister Chering Dorjey, Avinash Rai Khanna and BJP Incharge Leh elections, Sat Sharma CA, MLA.
The LAHDC Leh had come into existence in 1995 and this was fifth election to the Council. This is, however, for the first time when the BJP will rule the Leh through the Council.
The election process for the LAHDC Leh was completed by the Election Authority on October 28 with submission of names of all 26 Councilors to the Ladakh Affairs Department of the State Government, headed by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
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