Akhoon to be elected as new Chairman today
*NC gets first term, both parties to share Deptts
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 17: The National Conference and Congress today decided to formulate a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) to run Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil even as the post of Chairman-cum-CEC for first term of two and half years went to the NC which selected Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon, who will be elected to the prestigious post in the election scheduled to be held at 3 PM tomorrow.
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Earlier, the National Conference held meeting of its Councillors and senior leaders in Kargil in which outgoing Chairman-cum-CEC of the party Feroz Khan proposed the name of Dr Akhoon, a retired Chief Medical Officer and brother of former Cabinet Minister in erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir Government Qamar Ali Akhoon, for the post. The name was jointly approved by the party, NC district president Haji Hanifa Jan announced. Akhoon has been elected from Thasgam Thuina constituency.
Dr Akhoon will be Chairman-cum-CEC for two and half years while for next term the Chairman will be from the Congress Party.
As per the ‘Agenda of Alliance (AoA)’ released at a press conference jointly addressed by senior NC and Congress leaders at Kargil, the Council will be formed on 50:50 sharing basis. The first term of two and a half years will be given to NC commencing from October 18, 2023 and concluding on April 18, 2026. The Congress will take the post of Chairman in the second term.
“There will be two Executive Councilors appointed by each party, ensuring equal representation. One of the Executive Councilor post, as per the LAHDC Act 1995, reserved for principal religious minorities will go to NC in the first term and Congress in the second term,” the AoA, signed by senior leaders of NC and Congress, said.
The AoA said the departments assigned to the Chairman and the Executive Councilors will be equally shared between both parties. The allocation is intended to facilitate smooth and effective functioning of the Council, it added.
“After formation of the Executive Council, a Common Minimum Programme will be drafted and formulated by the two parties. The CMP will be drafted in consultations with perspective party high command and will outline the shared goals, priorities and policies of the coalition for the benefit of Kargil residents,” the AoA said.
At the press conference, Congress and NC leaders said they are committed to providing an effective and sustainable Council that works for the betterment, development, and welfare of the people of Kargil.
They said the Common Minimum Program will outline shared goals, priorities, and policies of the coalition for the benefit of Kargil.
The Agenda of Alliance, mutually agreed upon, was officially signed on October 17, 2023, by members of the Coalition Coordination Committee designated by NC and Congress, they added.
The coalition, which secured 22 out of the 26 seats, dedicated this victory to the tireless efforts of the workers, party high command, and the people of Kargil.
“The BJP made significant efforts to alter the political landscape in Kargil, but their endeavours went in vain, as the alliance triumphed by the people’s support. This victory signifies a crucial milestone for the broader INDIA alliance. The win for the INDIA alliance against the BJP at the national level has started from Kargil,” the Congress and NC leaders said.
Senior NC leader Qamar Ali Akhoon, speaking about the party’s decision to nominate the Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) for the first two and a half years, said the decision was taken unanimously by all Councillors.
Congress leader Asgar Ali Karbalai on the occasion stressed the Alliance’s seriousness about the upcoming Parliament elections and pledged its support for the four-point agenda raised by the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Leh Apex Body (LAB).
The leaders present at the joint press conference included Qamar Ali Akhoon, Asgar Ali Karbalai, Haji Hanifa Jan, Nasir Munshi, Feroz Khan, newly-elected Councillors and several other NC and Congress members.
Earlier in the day, the newly-elected Councillors of the 5th General LAHDC took their oath at the Syed Mehdi Auditorium Hall in Kargil.
Election for the post of Chairman-cum-CEC of the LAHDC Kargil is scheduled for 3 PM tomorrow. However, going by the majority enjoyed by the National Conference and Congress in the Council, the election of Dr Jaffer Akhoon to the post of the Chairman will be a formality.
The election, as per the sources, is likely to be held unanimously as the Opposition BJP with just two Councillors is not going to contest the post of the Chairman.
National Conference has 12 members while Congress has 10 in the House of 30. BJP has two while there are two Independents. Four Councillors are to be nominated by the Union Territory Administration of Ladakh which will take the BJP tally to six, still way short of the majority mark of 16.
In the previous Council also, National Conference was the single largest party with 10 seats followed by Congress eight, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) two, BJP one and Independents five. Later, the two PDP Councillors had joined the BJP. With four nominated Councillors also belonging to the BJP, its strength had gone up to seven.
NC leader Feroz Khan, who has been re-elected as Councillor from Silmoo, served as the Council Chairman-cum-CEC for full term of five years, initially with the support of Congress and then with the help of Independents.
Before start of the election process, the National Conference and Congress had entered into post-poll alliance to keep the BJP away from power even though they contested elections for the LAHDC Kargil against each other on most of the seats.
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