Kargil (Ladakh), October 9: The National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance, following their victory in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil elections, has characterized the results as a “referendum” against the central government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir.
In the LAHDC-Kargil elections, jointly contested by the NC and Congress, they secured 22 out of 26 seats, as announced on Sunday. This election marked the first since Ladakh was designated as a Union Territory after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
NC district president in Kargil, Hanifa Jan, expressed that this outcome indeed signifies a referendum, underscoring the people of Kargil’s opposition to the changes. She emphasized the importance of restoring the democratic system in Ladakh and suggested that this could involve either granting full-fledged statehood to Ladakh or reinstating its previous position within Jammu and Kashmir.
Jan highlighted the desire of Kargil’s residents to break free from what they perceive as bureaucratic constraints under the lieutenant governor’s administration. She criticized the Indian government’s unilateral decisions in August 2019 and described the election results as a clear referendum against those choices.
The alliance, which effectively secured 24 seats, including two won by independents aligned with their ideologies, voiced its strong opposition to the decisions taken in August 2019 and the erosion of democracy in the region. Senior Congress leader Issa Ali Shah reaffirmed the people of Kargil’s resistance to the abrogation of Article 370, asserting that the BJP had no significant role in Kargil, where the majority preferred unity with Jammu and Kashmir.
Regarding the alliance’s future plans, Hanifa Jan emphasized that it extends beyond the council elections, aiming to keep Kargil united. The alliance intends to collaborate in future parliamentary elections, advocating for a secular candidate who can represent the interests of the region, in contrast to the current MP, whom they view as aligned with BJP-RSS agendas and lacking in service to the people of Ladakh.
The LAHDC-Kargil elections held on October 4 saw the NC secure 12 seats, the Congress win 10, the BJP claim two, and two independent candidates emerge victorious. The administration nominates four members with voting rights to the 30-member council. The NC and Congress, although announcing a pre-poll alliance, fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively, primarily focusing on areas with competitive contests against the BJP.
