The National Conference (NC)-Congress alliance swept the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil elections, bagging 22 seats while the BJP managed to win only 2 seats.
The election, which saw a triangular contest among the NC, Congress and the BJP is the first key poll in Kargil after abrogation of Article 370.
The Congress attributed the poll success to the ‘direct impact’ of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at the media saying ‘the national media will blank it out, but trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP.’
‘This is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month,’ Mr Ramesh said in a post on X.
The NC and Congress have together won 22 seats out of the 26 seats for which elections were held on October 4, with the counting of votes still underway, officials said on Sunday.
While the NC won 12 seats, the Congress bagged 10 seats in the 30-member council. The BJP and Independents won 2 seats each. Four seats in the council have nominated members.
The NC and Congress had announced a pre-poll alliance but fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively. Both parties said the arrangement was restricted to areas where there was a tough contest with the BJP.
‘This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without the consent of its people,’ NC vice-president Omar Abdullah said.
With the NC emerging as the single largest party in the council, he said, “This is a resounding verdict against the BJP and its divisive policies. It’s also an emphatic rejection of what the Union Government did to J&K on 5th August 2019.”
Terming the results as a “wake-up call” for the BJP, Omar added, “It is time to cease hiding behind the Raj Bhawan and unelected representatives and, instead, acknowledge the people’s rightful desire for a democratically elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. Democracy demands the voices of the people be heard and respected.”
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