BJP deputes party delegation to pacify JTN ahead of LS election in Ladakh

Party nominee Tashi Gyalson to file papers on May 1

Jammu, April 28: A two-member team of senior BJP leaders will be reaching Leh tomorrow to assuage the discontent of the sulking incumbent Member of Parliament and party’s poster boy in the region, Jamyang Tsering Jamgyal who was denied party mandate from the lone Ladakh Lok Sabha seat for the current parliamentary elections.
Sources told The News Now that the BJP has deputed two senior party leaders, former minister Sat Sharma and former legislator Vikram Randhawa to placate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who was unhappy over the party’s decision to deny him a ticket for the current Lok Sabha elections and field the existing Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of Leh Council, Tashi Gyalson from the seat.
“The leaders will hold discussions with Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and his supporters to convince them about the rightness of the party high command’s decision given the prevailing circumstances in the region. The party leaders will also oversee the preparedness of local unit for the papers to be filed by the nominated candidate Tashi Gyalson on May 1,” sources said, adding the party’s secretary general (organisation) Ashok Koul will join them at the time of filing of nomination papers.
Sources said the party leaders were hopeful that they would be successful in pacifying the incumbent Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who has already declared that he was “a loyal BJP Karyakarta”.
On April 25, Namgyal condemned the people for “spreading false statements” against the Prime Minister by misusing his name and declared that he was a loyal BJP Karyakarta.
The clarification had come after the defiant Namgyal, on April 23, had termed the party high command’s decision to drop him from Ladakh seat and field Tashi Gyalson as “an injustice to a dedicated Karyakarta” and announced that he would carefully evaluate the situation and determine the next course of action.
Angered over the party high command’s decision, Namgyal, on reaching Leh town, had said, “My supporters have assembled spontaneously in Leh today. They are not happy with the nomination. With such a reaction, the big question remains if the party can retain the seat. I think I did contribute to the glory of the party in Ladakh. I did ask the party if I had performed poorly in Parliament, violated the party stand, misbehaved, or faced corruption charges. It was an unexpected decision for me,” Namgyal had said while giving vent to his anger against the decision.
He had said while he was currently “with the party and believed in its ideology”, he would sit with his supporters “and a final decision will be taken”. “I will consider the sentiments of my supporters and take a collective decision for the interests of Ladakh,” he had said.
Pertinently, Namgyal hit the headlines in 2019 with his viral speech in Lok Sabha to defend the Narendra Modi government’s decision to repeal Article 370 and make Ladakh a separate Union Territory.
Giving a clear indication of revolt, he had announced that he and his supporters would “carefully evaluate the situation and determine their next course of action”.
The BJP has already been facing anger from protestors for non-fulfilling its promise of declaring Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution (Tribal Area). The growing differences within the party in the region could affect the party’s poll prospects adversely.
The BJP won the Ladakh Parliamentary seat for two successive Lok Sabha elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, veteran politician ThupstanChhewang won this seat as BJP candidate by a margin of only 36 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP candidate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who was then sitting Chairman-cum-CEC of LAHDC Leh recorded an impressive victory margin of 10,930 votes over NC, PDP, and Islamiya School Kargil joint candidate, Sajjad Kargili. Namgayal polled 42,914 votes as against Sajjad Karigili’s 31984.
The polling on the Ladakh seat is scheduled for May 20.

Updated On 4/29/2024 2:45:29 AM