Ladakh hill council polls begin, it's BJP v/s united opposition
What's the story
The polling for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Kargil) in the Union Territory of Ladakh began on Wednesday.
The election marks a historic moment as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing a united National Conference (NC) and Congress for the first time since its designation as a UT in 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 and split from Jammu and Kashmir.
The previous council, led by NC's Feroz Ahmed Khan, completed its five-year term on October 1.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The electoral battle for LAHDC is crucial amid the political fight for statehood and constitutional protections on land and identity in the Himalayan region.
The BJP has used national leaders to campaign against the NC-Congress alliance, which has a formidable base in the region and held the outgoing council.
The opposition is projecting the elections as a referendum against the Centre's decision to carve out Ladakh as a separate UT in 2019.
Details
85 candidates vying for 26 seats
Eighty-five candidates are vying for 26 seats out of the 30-member hill council, which has 95,388 voters.
The NC and Congress have fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively, teaming up in a pre-poll alliance against the BJP, which fielded 17 candidates.
In the last election, the BJP won one seat but later increased its tally after two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) councilors joined it.
Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is contesting four seats, and there are 25 independent candidates.
What Next?
EVMs introduced for council elections for first time
The polling began at 8:00am and will conclude at 4:00pm.
In a first for council elections, electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being utilized.
Out of the 278 polling stations set up across the district, 114 are classified as hypersensitive and 99 as sensitive.
Extra companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling.
The counting of votes will reportedly take place on Sunday, and the new council will be formed before October 11.
Insights
'Votes will decide people's mandate against Centre's: Omar Abdullah
Meanwhile, NC leader and former J&K Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, last week said the vote would decide if people have accepted or rejected the Centre's decision to strip J&K of its statehood and special status.
He accused the administration of harassing his party in Kargil after it won a legal battle and retained its Plough symbol for elections.
Early this month, the Supreme Court dismissed the Ladakh administration's petition opposing the allotment of the Plough symbol to the party.