Congress retains Ladakh council seat, defeating BJP candidate [details]

From Ladakh to Delhi, Congress leadership is elated over retaining the Timisgam seat in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh in a by-poll.

Congress candidate Tashi Tundup won the by-election for the Temisgam constituency, by polling 861 votes against 588 polled by the BJP's Dorjay Namgyal.

The LAHDC is controlled by BJP and Congress leadership is trying to give a message that it is the beginning of the downfall of the Saffron Party in Ladakh. Of the total 1,460 votes cast, Congress got 861, BJP 588, and 14 NOTA were cast.

By-elections had been held earlier this week on September 13. The poll was necessitated following the death of sitting Congress Councillor Sonam Dorjey.

The LAHDC comprises 26 constituencies where the majority of elected members are from the BJP. In October 2020 when elections were held first time after granting Union Territory (UT) status to Ladakh, the BJP had retained power by winning 15 seats. The Congress had won nine seats, and two seats were bagged by Independent candidates.

Congress taunts BJP, drags Azad

Although the party has just retained the seat that it had won in the 2020 elections, Congress leadership seized this opportunity to taunt BJP for losing ground in Ladakh. Furthermore, the central leadership of the party also dragged Ghulam Nabi Azad in the whole episode.

While Leh Congress leader and member of LAHDC T Namgyal said that result is the outcome of peoples' anger against denying the sixth schedule of the Constitution, the central leadership of the party called it a defeat for Modi, Shah, and Azad.

"Here is some breaking news for Modi, Shah, and Azad. The Congress party has defeated the BJP by a convincing margin in the Temisgam bye-election to the Ladakh Hill Council. Congratulations to the Ladakh District Congress Committee!", tweeted Jairam Ramesh, general secretary in-charge communications of the Congress party.

Earlier Jairam Ramesh mocked Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Ghulam Nabi Azad by comparing them with Mir Jafar, the mid-18th century nobleman who supported the British against Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula.

"He is not only Assam Chief Minister... He is the villain of the BJP and is tasked to finish Congress, after getting everything from Congress...if somebody is like Mir Jafar, it is Himanta Biswa Sarma, there is one more Mir Jafar in Jammu and Kashmir, but he is Mir Jafar of the North East,", he had stated.

"INC won the Temisgam Bye-Election at Leh-Ladakh by a huge margin! The DCC Leh team congratulates all the members of Congress Party Ladakh for their hard work and constant support! This is a humble birthday gift to Modi ji from Ladakh Congress!", former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh tweeted after the declaration of the result.

Congress leader in the LAHDC-Leh T Namgyal said that today's result is peoples' verdict against the BJP which has failed to fulfill the aspirations and wishes of the Ladakhi people. He mentioned that the people of Ladakh are demanding the sixth schedule of the Constitution to be extended in the region to protect jobs, land, and culture but the BJP failed in providing the same despite repeated demands and agitation.