SRINAGAR: Political parties and civil society groups in Ladakh, apprehensive that the administration might hold Hill Council elections in Dec, on Monday said a winter election schedule would disenfranchise a significant section of the population as nearly 25% of Ladakhis migrate to other parts of the country during the harsh winter season.In Kargil, political parties and religious and social organisations called for a complete shutdown on Tuesday and a candlelight march in the evening, demanding deferment of the elections. In Leh, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) threatened to launch an agitation within the next few days. The administration, however, has not announced any dates for hill council polls as yet. Senior Ladakh administration officials were not available for comment.“For the past month we have been witnessing a series of notifications and orders and a flawed delimitation exercise. No one has been consulted or taken into confidence. The UT administration is once again imposing decisions on people,” Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) co-chairman Sajjad Kargili said at a news conference in Kargil. Flanked by Ladakh MP Mohmad Haneefa and other political and religious leaders, Kargili said 20% to 25% of Ladakh’s population, particularly elderly people, students and members of the business community, migrates outside the region during winter. Despite this, he said, the administration appears adamant about holding Hill Council elections in Dec. “This is an inappropriate and unwise decision.” Kargili said the people of Kargil have decided to observe a complete shutdown Tuesday.Haneefa said the proposed elections should not come at the cost of people’s democratic rights, pointing to harsh weather, difficult terrain, road closures and disrupted connectivity. Haneefa said he had urged the L-G to reconsider and defer the election schedule, allowing sufficient time for a comprehensive revision of electoral rolls and consultations with all stakeholders.In Leh, Leh Apex Body co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakrook also urged the administration to postpone the elections until April or May next year, saying constituencies should first be properly delineated to ensure wider public participation.
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
Addressing a news conference alongside members of All Goba Association and Ladakh Buddhist Association members, Lakrook said holding elections after winter would allow more people to participate. Lakrook also announced that the Leh Apex Body would launch an agitation within two to three days, saying the movement would demonstrate its public support. “We were supposed to be invited to the talks with the ministry of home affairs in Delhi on Oct 22, but we were not. The administration is taking us for granted. It is time for Ladakhis to wake up and stand up for their rights,” he said.
