Avinav Verma
Leh : Four BJP councillors of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, resigned on Monday and demanded immediate delimitation of council constituencies followed by fresh elections.
Stanzin Lakpa of Cha, Padma Dorjay of Stakchey Khangral and nominated councillors Rigzin Gurmet and Namgal Phunchok announced their resignations at a press conference, saying they had submitted the same to the Chief Executive Officer of LAHDC-Kargil.
The councillors said the recent administrative reorganisation of Ladakh had changed the territorial arrangement of the Kargil region, with areas that were earlier part of Kargil now falling under newly created districts.
They said the existing constituencies and representative structure should be reviewed in view of the changed administrative boundaries and called for delimitation before fresh elections.
The four councillors also raised the delay in passing the LAHDC-Kargil budget, alleging that the issue had affected the functioning of the council and development works.
Their resignations come days after the Ladakh Administration notified the framework for Autonomous Hill Development Councils in all seven districts of the Union Territory.
Ladakh now has seven districts—Leh, Kargil, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass—after five new districts were carved out of the erstwhile Leh and Kargil districts.
The five new districts were formally notified in April this year.
The September 3 notification of the Ladakh Administration further advanced the process of establishing LAHDCs across all seven districts.
The detailed electoral structure of the seven councils, however, is yet to be finalised, including the number of seats and constituency boundaries.
The existing LAHDCs in Leh and Kargil have 30 members each, comprising 26 elected and four nominated members.
With five new councils now part of the framework, the administration will have to determine the number and distribution of seats and undertake delimitation of constituencies before elections to the new councils.
The issue of reservation, including the notified 33 per cent reservation for women, will also have to be incorporated into the electoral exercise.
The latest resignations have therefore come at a time when the structure of Ladakh’s Hill Councils is undergoing a major administrative and electoral transition.
The development has also taken place against the backdrop of the continuing political dispute over the leadership of LAHDC-Kargil.
Chief Executive Councillor Dr Mohammad Jaffar Akhoon, who was elected on a National Conference ticket, completed the first two-and-a-half years of the council’s five-year term in April.
Under a power-sharing arrangement between the NC and Congress reached before the 2023 LAHDC-Kargil elections, the two parties had agreed to share the CEC’s post for two-and-a-half years each.
The NC was to hold the post during the first half of the term, after which Congress was to take over.
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Akhoon, however, did not resign after completing his term.
Congress and NC councillors subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against him.
A total of 16 councillors supported the motion and sought a special session for a floor test.
The floor test has not been held so far.
The political equation changed during the council’s budget session when Akhoon secured support from BJP councillors.
The Rs 255-crore budget was passed with the support of 20 councillors in the 30-member council.
The budget covers sectors including education, health, roads and buildings, agriculture and horticulture.
Congress councillors had largely boycotted the session over the dispute concerning the rotation of the CEC’s post.
The BJP’s support allowed Akhoon to demonstrate majority support inside the council despite the pending no-confidence motion.
The National Conference subsequently expelled Akhoon for six years, accusing him of anti-party activities and indiscipline.
Akhoon rejected the action and said he would continue to lead LAHDC-Kargil, maintaining that he had the support of a majority of councillors and outside support from the BJP.
The resignation of four BJP councillors comes after the party’s support had become important to Akhoon’s continuation as CEC.
The resigning councillors, however, have cited delimitation, fresh elections and council functioning as the reasons for their decision.
Their demand comes as the administration prepares to establish the electoral framework for the seven Hill Councils.
The resignations may affect the numerical strength of the council once they are formally accepted, but their immediate political significance lies in the demand for a fresh electoral exercise in Kargil.
The creation of five new districts has ended Ladakh’s earlier two-district administrative structure.
The new districts are Sham, Nubra and Changthang in the Leh region, and Zanskar and Drass in the Kargil region.
With the notification of LAHDCs for all seven districts, the UT is now moving towards a seven-council arrangement.
However, the detailed framework required for elections remains to be completed.
Officials have indicated that seat allocation, delimitation and reservation will have to be finalised before the new councils can go to polls.
The timing of the elections is also uncertain, with the onset of winter in Ladakh limiting the period available for a full electoral exercise.
According to officials cited in recent reports, completion of the necessary formalities this year could be difficult, with elections potentially being held later depending on the progress of delimitation and other preparations.
The Hill Council process is taking place alongside the Ladakh Administration’s plan to hold long-pending Panchayat elections.
Panchayat and municipal elections in Ladakh were last held in 2018, when the region was part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir State. The elected bodies completed their terms in 2023.
The administration has now announced plans for Panchayat elections, adding another major electoral exercise to the ongoing restructuring of local governance in Ladakh.
