Kargil- The National Conference and the Congress together won 22 seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election, officials said on Sunday.
The election to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil was the first poll to be held after Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
Twenty-six seats of the council went to polls on October 4. The administration nominates four members with voting rights to the 30-member council.
According to the officials, the National Conference (NC) won 12 seats, making it the single largest party, while its ally Congress registered victory in 10. The BJP won two seats, while two Independent candidates also registered victory, they said.
The election recorded 77.61 per cent polling with 74,026 of the 95,388 voters exercising their right. The existing council headed by the NC’s Feroz Ahmad Khan completed its five-year term on October 1. The new council will be in place before October 11.
The NC and Congress had announced a pre-poll alliance but fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively. Both parties said the arrangement was restricted to areas where there was a tough contest with the BJP.
The BJP, which won one seat in the last election and later took its tally to three with the joining of two PDP councillors, had fielded 17 candidates this time. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tried its luck on four seats while 25 Independents were also in the fray.
Electronic voting machines were used for the first time for the council elections which took place at 278 polling stations across the district.
Wake-up call for BJP: Omar Abdullah
National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah on Sunday said the BJP has been dealt a resounding defeat in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil elections and that it should serve as a wake-up call for the saffron party.
Abdullah asserted that the poll outcome in Kargil has sent out a message against the division of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, without consulting the people of the region.
“The BJP was dealt a resounding defeat at the hands of the NC-Congress alliance in Kargil today. In celebration of our strong alliance with the Congress party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference is delighted to announce its victory in the LAHDC-Kargil elections,” Abdullah said in a statement here.
“This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without the consent of its people,” he added.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the poll victory belongs to the people of Zanskar, Kargil and Drass, “who have decisively endorsed” the NC-Congress alliance.
“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the elected councillors, recognising their dedication to serving the people. We also extend our gratitude to the leadership of the Congress party for their unwavering support,” he said.
Abdullah said the poll results should serve as a wake-up call for the BJP.
“It is time to cease hiding behind the Raj Bhawan and unelected representatives and, instead, acknowledge the people’s rightful desire for a democratically-elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. Democracy demands the voices of the people be heard and respected,” the NC leader said.
He thanked the party workers for their hard work to ensure the poll victory.
“JKNC remains committed to the principles of democracy, justice and unity, working tirelessly to uphold the rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Abdullah said.
Direct impact of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra: Congress
With the Congress winning several seats in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, the party said it is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at the media saying “the national media will blank it out, but trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP.”
“This is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said the party has registered a resounding victory in the Ladakh hill council elections after 10 years.
“Along with our INDIA partner National Conference, we have swept the entire region in its first election after the abrogation of Art. 370.
“Rahul Gandhi ji’s Bharat Jodo Yatra last month across the region has given people of Ladakh and Kargil the faith that the Congress and INDIA have a deep concern about the issues they face, and the need for their democratic sentiments to be given a voice,” he said on X.
“Congratulations to all victorious candidates,” Venugopal said, adding “I am confident this will usher a new democratic dawn in Ladakh and Kargil”.
Another Congress leader P Chidambaram said the LAHDC poll result is a “resounding victory for I.N.D.I.A. and a crushing defeat for the BJP”.
“The results show that the people have totally repudiated the misguided agenda of the BJP, the revocation of Art. 370 and the creation of Union Territories out of a State. “If elections are held in the Kashmir valley, the results will not be different,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also said the people of Ladakh-Kargil have spoken decisively.
“A resounding mandate for us in the Ladakh-Kargil Autonomous Hill Council elections – the first electoral exercise since abolition of Art 370.
“In August Rahul Gandhi ji’s Bharat Jodo Yatra all across Leh-Ladakh met and assured the people of the region that their voices matter,” she said.
The National Conference and the Congress together won 22 seats in the LAHDC polls, officials said on Sunday.
The elections to the LAHDC-Kargil was the first poll to be held after Ladakh was carved out as a Union territory following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
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