Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 31: The Government has finalized schedule for holding elections to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, which has to be constituted before October 26 and the new Council will take over the reign of affairs in first week of November. The schedule will be announced in next couple of days by the Ladakh Affairs Department of the State Government, held by Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.
The Deputy Commissioner, Leh is being appointed as the Election Authority for conducting the elections.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Ladakh Affairs Department, which Constitutionally is responsible for holding elections to the LAHDC Leh and LAHDC Kargil after every five years, will formally announce schedule of the elections for the LAHDC Leh in first week of September for which the Deputy Commissioner Leh is being appointed as the Election Authority.
“Election will be held for all 26 constituencies of the Hill Council,’’ sources said.
They added that elections for 26 seats will be held in first or second week of October and it could take at least three days to declare election of all 26 seats in view of topography of the district. The process of elections will be completed before October 15 and the new Council will be notified by third week of October. The deadline for new Council to be in place is October 26.
The new Council can take over any time before first week of November. In addition to 26 elected members, the Government has the provision of nominating four members to the Council taking its total strength to 30. In LAHDC Kargil elections last year, the nomination of four National Conference members had tilted balance in favour of the party but it had allowed the Congress to form the Council. However, after the Assembly elections, the NC had passed no confidence motion against the Congress and formed its Council.
In the present Council in Leh headed by veteran Congress leader Rigzin Spalbar, Congress has 21 elected members, BJP 4 and Independent one. Four members are nominated. The Congress had 22 members but it had expelled one of them Tsewang Rigzin after last year’s Assembly elections as he had contested the elections against official Congress candidate Deldan Namgayal from Nobra.
While Congress is riding high on the wave of Assembly elections in which it had won both Assembly seats of Leh, the BJP was boasting of having won Ladakh Lok Sabha seat for the first time in the history in last Parliamentary elections. Even in the last year’s Assembly elections though the BJP lost both Leh and Nobra Assembly seats in Leh district, its candidates had secured handsome votes.
LAHDC Leh CEC Rigzin Spalbar told the Excelsior that the Congress has very strong ground in Leh district and it will stage comeback in the Council with impressive margin. He said the Congress had done a lot of development and people will vote it back to the power in the Council. He added that the Congress will go it alone in the elections.
BJP Incharge for Jammu and Kashmir Avinash Rai Khanna has already announced that the party will contest all 26 seats in Leh. The BJP is confident of forming the Council in the Leh for the first time just like the part had won Ladakh Lok Sabha seat for the first time.
As far as NC and PDP are concerned, they have very little stakes in the Council elections. The NC and PDP hadn’t even contested Leh Assembly seat in the last year’s elections.
With completion of its term in October, the LAHDC, Leh will complete 20 years of its existence. It was constituted first in 1995 after an agreement between the then Congress Government in New Delhi headed by PV Narsimha Rao and representatives of Leh, who had spearheaded agitation for Union Territory status to Ladakh.
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