Uncertainty over Leh Hill Council elections
Constitution provides 6-month extension or delay
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 10: Delay in undertaking an exercise for reservation of 33 percent seats for women in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh may push the elections ahead as five-year term of the Council is set to expire on November 2 and voting normally has to be held before the end of October.
In 2020, the notification for Leh Council elections was issued on September 18 and polling for 26 seats took place on October 16, counting on October 22 and entire election process was completed on October 27. The Council was sworn-in on November 2, 2020 and new Council has to be in place before this date, officials told the Excelsior.
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It was on December 3, 2024 that the Union Home Ministry in a meeting of the High Powered Committee (HPC) with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), had announced 33 percent reservation for both Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils. However, even after nine months, no order has been issued by the administration for undertaking an exercise to identity 33 percent seats to be reserved for the women in Leh Council where elections are due.
Attributing delay in announcement of reservation of women seats to creation of five more districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh by the Union Home Ministry in August last year, sources said the officials are waiting the MHA nod on whether the election will be held for Leh district or new districts will be announced prior to that.
“Once the confusion is over, the exercise will be taken up,” they said and pointed out that there has been a provision in the Hill Council Constitution to defer elections by six months under “exceptional circumstances”. Either term of the existing Council can be extended for six months or powers of the Council can be given to the Deputy Commissioner if the Council has to be dissolved.
Sources don’t rule out such possibility if there is further delay in announcement of five new districts. In a UT, the final call has to be taken by the Union Home Ministry which had announced five new districts for Ladakh including three in Leh district and two in Kargil district but their formal creation like their boundaries, headquarter, posts etc are yet to be announced even after submission of report by the Committee set up for the purpose.
Since three new districts have been carved out of existing Leh district and two from existing Kargil district, the Home Ministry has to take call whether all seven new districts will get the Hill Councils or there will be a new mechanism in place.
Both Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils have 30 seats each. Of them, election is held for 26 seats while four Councilors are nominated by the UT administration. Taking 26 seats into account, eight or nine seats could be reserved for the women but for that an exercise is required to be undertaken by the administration for identification of seats to be reserved.
The BJP is in power in LAHDC Leh for two consecutive terms having won majority in 2015 and 2020. In 2020, BJP won 15 seats, Congress 9 and Independents two.
Elections to Kargil Hill Development Council were held in October 2023 with NC and Congress winning majority. Elections there are due in October 2028.
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