Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 1: Amid reports that the Congress is ready to surrender the Ladakh Parliamentary seat for the National Conference to ensure unity among the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, the Leh unit of the party is not ready to accept any formula. Highly placed sources said that leaders of the Leh unit of the party have made it clear to the party's high command that leaving the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat for the National Conference would prove disastrous for the party in this region. “Leh unit of the Congress will not accept any such formula because there is fear among local party leaders that surrendering the Ladakh seat would help the BJP to make inroads into the party’s vote bank in the Buddhist-dominated pockets where the Saffron Party is the main competitor with the Grand-Old-Party ”, a source said.
Leh Congress leaders are opposing this formula keeping in the next elections of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh.
As reported exclusively by the Early Times in its February 29 Congress Party’s Leh unit not ready to accept any formula.
Leaving Ladakh seat for NC would prove disastrous for Congress.
Surrendering Ladakh seat would help the BJP to make inroads into the party’s vote bank
Leh Cong leaders are opposing this formula keeping in view the next LAHDC elections .
“In case the National Conference will leave the Anantnag-Rajouri Parliamentary seat for the PDP, the Congress will surrender its claim on the Ladakh seat”, a source said, adding, “Congress is going to sacrifice its interest to ensure unity among the opposition parties”.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the BJP candidate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who was then sitting Chairman-cum-CEC of LAHDC Leh recorded an impressive victory margin of 10,930 votes over NC, PDP, and Islamiya School Kargil joint candidate, Sajjad Kargili. Namgayal polled 42,914 votes as against Sajjad Karigili’s 31984.
Two other candidates in the fray in Ladakh were Haji Asgar Karbalaie, former Congress MLA from Kargil, and Rigzin Spalbar (Congress) finished third and fourth with 29365 and 21241 votes respectively. Karbalaie had contested the election as an Independent. | 