Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 13: Even as National Conference and Congress have reached an understanding for six seats of Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, their six months long honeymoon for Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil was at the brink of collapse with National Conference Councilors moving no-confidence motion against Congress led Council in Kargil and staking claim to head the Council on their own.
Kacho Ahmed Ali Khan, National Conference Councilor and party’s candidate for the post of Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) in LAHDC Kargil in September 2013 when elections were held to the Council, would submit the no-confidence motion to the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, who happened to be Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Council, tomorrow morning.
The 30 members Kargil Council is presently headed by Congress Councilor Haji Asgar Ali Karblaie, who is pitching for Congress mandate from Ladakh Parliamentary constituency, which would go to polls on May 5 along with Baramulla-Kupwara Lok Sabha seat.
NC candidate Kacho Ahmed Ali Khan told the Excelsior that they have obtained necessary signatures of 10 Councilors i.e. one-third of total strength required for submitting the no-confidence motion against the CEC and his Executive Councilors to the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil.
Under the Rules and Procedures governing the Council, the Deputy Commissioner had to convene a meeting of the Hill Council within 10 days of receiving the no-confidence motion duly signed by 10 Councilors.
“If the no-confidence motion is passed, the CEC and his Executive Councilors had to resign and new dispensation given chance by the Deputy Commissioner to form the Council and prove the majority,” sources said.
The 30 members Council had four nominated Councilors, who owed allegiance to National Conference since they were nominated by the ruling party at the height of controversy shrouding formation of the Council in September last year.
Of 26 elected members, 10 belonged to Congress and eight to National Conference. Eight candidates were elected as Independents and they owed allegiance to the two parties, almost equally.
After the elections threw a hung verdict to the LAHDC Kargil in September last year, the National Conference and Congress, the two coalition partners in the State Government, were at loggerheads over formation of the Council with both trying to win over the Independent Councilors and claiming majority.
As the National Conference nominated its four members as the Councilors with voting rights, the tensions had further mounted between the two coalition partners as the nominations had tilted balance in favour of ruling NC since the nominated members enjoyed the voting rights.
However, the controversy was set at rest with the intervention of National Conference patriarch and Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah, who had said the NC was surrendering its claim and the Congress would form the Council in Kargil. Accordingly, Congress Councilor Haji Asgar Ali Karblaie was elected as the CEC of LAHDC Kargil.
However, the NC-Congress honeymoon proved to be short lived. Within six months of formation of the Council, NC Councilor and then party’s candidate for the post of CEC Kacho Ahmed Ali Khan today deciding to move no-confidence motion against the Council and take claim to form their own majority.
Mr Khan said the present Council had failed miserably as there was no water, power, ration and other essential commodities’ supply in Kargil. The Council has also failed to get sufficient funds for development of Kargil, he lamented.
He said the NC has already obtained signatures of 10 Councilors and would submit no confidence motion to the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil tomorrow and pass it in the Council. He said the NC had the support of mandatory 16 Councilors to form the new Council.
The development comes at a time when NC and Congress had clinched alliance for six Lok Sabha seats of Jammu and Kashmir deciding to contest three each. Under the agreement, Ladakh seat had gone to the Congress.
Sources admitted that differences between the two parties at this stage could par the prospectus of the Congress candidate in Lok Sabha elections as sitting MP from Ladakh, Ghulam Hassan Khan, who was likely to seek re-election, has direct affiliation with the National Conference though the latter might not own him at this stage. BJP has already fielded 2004 MP from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang as its candidate for Ladakh seat.
Sources said the NC has the backing of its ally Islamia School, Kargil in no-confidence motion against Congress led Council. The party has claimed that apart from its eight Councilors, it also had the support of three Independent Councilors backed by Islamia School, Kargil and four nominated Councilors. It said two other independent Councilors have also decided to extend their support to them during no-confidence motion.
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