NC suffers major setback as entire Ladakh unit resigns to protest mounting pressure

Ladakh set for triangular contest as Sajjad Kargili, Feroz withdraw papers; Hanifa Jan is KDA’s lone candidate from Kargil

Jammu, May 6: In a dramatic turn of events, the National Conference (NC) on Monday suffered a major setback jolt in Ladakh as its entire unit of the region announced mass resignations to protest the “pressure being built on them (NC leaders in Kargil) to support Congress party’s candidate for the lone Ladakh Lok Sabha seat”.
The decision to tender resignation enmasse was taken after the NC president Dr. Farooq Abdullah, through a post on ‘X’ (formerly twitter) asked his workers and supporters to support Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal in the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat.
“We (both Leh and Kargil units) have submitted our resignations to the party. We were being pressurized, both telephonically and through social media, to support the official candidate of INDIA bloc from Ladakh, who belongs to the Congress party which is not acceptable to anyone in Kargil including Congress and NC units of the district,” Qamar Ali Akhoon, the additional general secretary of NC and senior leader of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), told The News Now.
As per the seat-sharing agreement between the National Conference and Congress, the Ladakh Lok Sabha has been allocated to the grand-old-party.
“We have taken a unanimous decision to field Haji Hanfia Jan on the Ladakh Parliamentary seat. There is no question of going back from this point because Haji Hanifa Jan is a unanimous candidate of KDA which has the support of all political parties including the Kargil unit of the Congress”, he said, “In the larger interest of the region and to secure the future of Kargil district, we have unanimously decided to field only one candidate of KDA this time.”
Akhoon added, “As they are being insisted to act in the interests of the people of Kargil, they are left with no option but to resign en masse. The decision to resign has been taken following persistent pressure from the party’s higher command. Haji Hanifa Jan will be the unanimous candidate of KDA and he is contesting as an independent candidate”.
Earlier in the day, Dr Farooq Abdullah directed its Kargil unit of the party to support Congress candidate—Tsering Namgyal, a Buddhist leader from Leh who is currently the leader of opposition in Leh Council—in the Lok Sabha election for the Ladakh seat. He even warned party leaders against defying the direction of the high command.
“The NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah has directed the Kargil unit of the party to support the INDIA bloc candidate - T Namgyal in the Lok Sabha election for the Ladakh seat. He has told his colleagues that failure to follow this directive will be seen as a serious breach of party discipline,” the party spokesperson said in a post on ‘X’.
The NC chief’s direction came after the senior Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader and Independent candidate for the Ladakh seat, Sajjad Kargili withdrew his nomination papers in support of the NC candidate, Haji Hanfia Jan, who was projected as INDIA bloc candidate in Kargil district.
With the withdrawal of Sajjad Kargili and covering candidate, Kacho Mohammed Feroz’s nominations on the last day, Ladakh seat is now set for a triangular contest with Haji Hanifa Jan having an edge over two Buddhist candidates from Leh district.
Interestingly, NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah and vice-president, Omar Abdullah, on May 1, had extended congratulations to the party’s Kargil district president Haji Hanifa Jan on his nomination as the joint candidate of NC and Congress for the Ladakh parliamentary seat.
“They express their confidence in his ability to unite the people of Ladakh and advocate for their concerns of ongoing disempowerment since August 5, 2019, in the Indian Parliament. Wishing him the best of luck, they believe he will effectively represent the region’s interests on the national stage,” the party spokesperson had written on ‘X’.
Veteran Buddhist leader, CheringDorjayLakrook, who was elected as the new president of the influential apex body of Buddhists--Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) on Sunday, had said, “As an apolitical entity, we have a restricted role in endorsing specific political candidates. However, it’s unfortunate that Kargil groups have aligned along religious lines, setting up a direct confrontation between Leh and Kargil. Undoubtedly, the lone candidate from Kargil will hold an edge over Leh candidates”.

Updated On 5/7/2024 12:23:15 AM