Ladakh announces December 4 council polls amid shutdown

Srinagar: The State Election Commission of Ladakh on Tuesday announced the schedule for elections to all eight Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs), with polling scheduled for December 4 and counting of votes and declaration of results on December 8.

The announcement came on a day when Kargil and Sankoo observed a complete shutdown, demanding deferment of the polls and a review of the delimitation exercise. Meanwhile, the Apex Body Leh (ABL) announced a protest at the NDS Stadium in Leh on November 12, opposing the decision to hold elections during winter and pressing for the larger demands over which the ABL and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) are engaged in a dialogue with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

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ABL said its protest campaign will continue through the winter and reiterated its support for the election boycott call given by the Nambardar Association.

According to a notification issued by SEC Sudhanshu Pandey, the last date for filing nominations is November 17 while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on November 18. Candidates can withdraw their nominations by November 20. Polling, if required, will be held on December 4 between 8 am and 5 pm, with the entire election process scheduled to be completed by December 8. Panchayat and municipal elections are scheduled for November 21.

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"This is a watershed moment and a turning point for democracy in Ladakh. It is a crucial inflection point in the larger journey of democracy. People must demonstrate that they stand for democracy by participating in this festival of democracy," said Ashish Kundra, Chief Secretary of Ladakh, while addressing a press conference. "Protest is a democratic right, and so is voting. I hope leaders in Kargil and Leh will participate and encourage others to vote in these grassroots democratic elections," Kundra said. He also maintained that weather conditions were not a limiting factor, as schools in Ladakh remained open until December 15, and people could therefore participate in the elections on December 4.

The chief secretary further said that contrary to the public opinion being formed, LAHDCs retained the powers they had enjoyed earlier. Under the new arrangement, 36 of the 100 seats across all eight LAHDCs would be reserved for women.

Meanwhile, a candlelight march 'Save Democracy' was organised in Kargil on Tuesday evening to press for the demands for deferment of the elections and a review of the delimitation exercise. An all-party meeting was also held in Drass, where participants opposed the elections and reiterated their support for KDA and ABL.

"How can elections be conducted without people? 25% of our population is outside Ladakh. This is an attempt to rig the elections in favour of a particular party (BJP). We support the election boycott call given by the Nambardar Association," said ABL's Cherring Dorjay Lakruk.