Defer Ladakh civic polls: MP Mohmad Haneefa in letter to Amit Shah

Srinagar: Lok Sabha member from Ladakh Mohmad Haneefa on Wednesday wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking postponement of the proposed Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council elections in Ladakh.

He has shared the same concerns with lieutenant governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena. The panchayat elections in Ladakh are scheduled for November 21 while the council elections would be held on December 4.

"With harsh winter approaching, senior citizens have already started migrating to warmer regions, while thousands of students will leave by late November and early December for education and coaching. Snowfall and road closures will further restrict access to polling stations, affecting voter participation," Haneefa said.


He hoped that the home minister would take appropriate action in the larger interest of Ladakh and reschedule elections, preferably after May, when conditions are more conducive and maximum voter participation can be ensured.

"Elections must ensure the participation of every eligible voter. The democratic rights of Ladakhis must not be compromised," said Haneefa.

Apex Body Leh (ABL) has called for a protest on November 12 in Leh and supported the election boycott call by Nambardaar Association.

Meanwhile, members of Kargil Democratic Alliance and ABL including Sonam Wangchuk, Asgar Karbalai and Sajjad Kargili issued a video "SOS call" urging the President, prime minister, home minister and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and fellow citizens of the country to intervene before they are forced to start "peaceful but intense agitations to demonstrate our pain". "While the judicial inquiry commission report of the September 24th incident in Leh moves at snail's pace ... the UT administration is moving at rocket speed to conduct some kind of 'council elections' here..."