No alliance with BJP for LAHDC polls: PDP

SRINAGAR: Ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today ruled out an alliance with its coalition partner BJP, for the upcoming hill council elections in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

"We are fighting separately for Leh Hill Council elections. There is no alliance," PDP leader and Minister for Roads and Buildings, Altaf Bukhari told reporters here.

Bukhari said the party wants to put it on record that even as it may have very little presence in the frontier region, it would fight the polls alone.

"Some (news) papers have reported it but it is not the fact. BJP is fighting it alone and we are fighting alone. May be our presence is very little there, we might be fighting four to five seats (only) but there is no alliance, I want to put it on record," the PDP leader said.

On September 9, the state government announced the poll schedule for 26 councillor seats for Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.

As per the schedule issued by the Ladakh Affairs Department, the nominations can be filed from September 22 and September 29 will be the last date for filing nominations.

The scrutiny of nominations will be held on September 30 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations will be October 2, 2015. The voting for the 26 seats, for which councillors are directly elected, would take place on October 17 with counting of votes to take place on October 23.

The election process has to be completed before October 28, when the term of the existing council expires.

LAHDC is an Autonomous Hill Council that administers the Leh District. The council is composed of 30 Councillors of which 26 are directly elected and 4 are nominated members.