Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 16: A day after Congress candidate Tsering Samphel filed his nomination papers for Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, the National Conference-Congress alliance ran into trouble with powerful Islamiya School Kargil (ISK), a traditional supporter of the NC, announcing its candidate against the Alliance while Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust (IKMT), which generally supports Congress, was considering the name of former MLA from Zanskar and district president of Congress Ghulam Raza and an announcement was expected anytime now.
Official sources said the ISK with the support of Anjuman-e-Sahab Zaman Tai-Suru announced the name of Aga Syed Kazim Sabri as its candidate for Ladakh Lok Sabha seat. Sabri, a former Executive Councilor of LAHDC Kargil for CAPD and Social Welfare in the NC leader Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan led previous Council, would file his nomination papers in Ladakh on Friday.
Sources said a section of National Conference, Kargil unit, which was against any alliance with the Congress for Lok Sabha election in Ladakh, has also extended tacit support to Sabri.
Addressing a press conference in Kargil along with Haji Anayat Ali, member, Ulema Council Islamiya School, Sabri sought support from all sections of society for his candidature.
Expressing confidence that he would stage a victory, Sabri hoped that people from both the districts of Leh and Kargil would support him and make him victorious.
Sabri said he along with his supporters would leave for Leh tomorrow and file nomination papers on Friday.
Apart from Haji Anayat Ali, Haji Ghulam Hussain Sangrah, Abdul Hussain Sankoo and Haji Hussain, former Councilor from Lankarchey were also present in the press conference and declared their full support to his candidature.
Meanwhile, IKMT was also considering to field an Independent candidate from Kargil for Ladakh seat. The IKMT is traditional supporter of Congress but sources said the Trust wanted the Congress to field a candidate from Kargil for Ladakh seat but the party didn’t agree and fielded a candidate from Leh.
Sources said the IKMT was waiting for the name of ISK and it could now name its candidate anytime as April 19 is last date for filing nomination papers for Ladakh seat, which would go to polls on May 7. Scrutiny of documents would be held on April 21 while the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers till April 23.
Ladakh seat would go to polls in fifth and final phase of polling in Jammu and Kashmir on May 7 along with Baramulla-Kupwara constituency.
The IKMT was considering the name of Ghulam Raza, former MLA from Zanskar in Kargil district, who also happened to be the district president of Congress, for Ladakh seat. The IKMT was likely to take a decision on the candidate anytime now, sources said.
During 2009 Lok Sabha elections, ISK had supported Ghulam Hassan Khan as Independent candidate and he was elected to the Lok Sabha defeating Congress nominee P Namgayal.
Apart from Tsering Samphel, BJP has also named Thupstan Chhewang, former MP, who had won Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in 2004, as its candidate.
It may be mentioned here that as per seat sharing agreement, NC and Congress were contesting three Lok Sabha seats each in the State. As per the agreement, Ladakh seat has gone to Congress.
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