I.N.D.I.A's constituents fighting against each other in Kargil Council elections [details]

Notwithstanding claims of the opposition parties to fight unitedly against the BJP, two main constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in Jammu and Kashmir are fighting against each other in the mountainous region of Ladakh.

The National Conference and Congress fielded candidates against each other in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil for which aggressive campaigning is going on in the mountainous region.

Interestingly before the announcement of the elections, the local leadership of both the National Conference and the Congress announced a pre-poll alliance in the election LAHDC Kargil to foil BJP's strategy to take benefit of the division of the opposition's votes.

The National Conference and the Congress are fighting each other in 13 constituencies--50 percent of the total 26 constituencies of the LAHDC Kargil for which polling will be held on October 4.

It was also announced by both the I.N.D.I.A's constituents that their pre-poll arrangement would convert into a post-poll alliance and there would be a 50/50 power-sharing formula between both the parties in the council.

85 candidates are in the fray for 26 seats of the Council

In the 30-member of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil, elections will be held for 26 seats. Four Councilors with voting rights would be nominated by the Union Territory administration after the polling process is over.

Out of the total 85 contesting candidates, a maximum of 22 belong to Congress, while the National Conference and the BJP have fielded 17 candidates each.

At least 25 Independents are also trying their luck while four candidates belonging to the Aam Adami Party (AAP) are in the fray.

There will be a direct contest on seven seats namely Taisuru, Padum, Thangdumbur, Karsha, Cha, Parkachik, and Shakar. The highest number of six candidates is contesting from the Lankarchey seat while four constituencies will witness a contest among five candidates each.

PDP not fielded any candidate

The People's Democratic Party (PDP), which emerged as a force in the Kargil district of Ladakh after 2014 decided not to field any candidate for the 26 seats of the LAHDC Kargil.

In the last LAHDC Kargil elections held in 2018, the National Conference won 10 seats followed by eight seats by Congress. PDP had won two seats and BJP one while there were five Independents.

Fresh notification issued after Supreme Court reprimands Ladakh administration

A fresh notification was issued by the LAHDC Kargil elections after the Supreme Court on September 6 reprimanded the Ladakh Union Territory Administration for not allotting the 'plough' symbol to the National Conference. The Supreme Court also set aside the earlier notification issued by the Union Territory of Ladakh on August 5 for the election to the LAHDC Kargil earlier scheduled on September 10.

A bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah had dismissed the plea by the Ladakh administration opposing the allotment of "plough" symbol to the National Conference and had imposed a cost of Rs1 lakh on it.

Important to mention here that earlier the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court had also dismissed the Ladakh administration's plea against a single bench order allowing NC candidates to contest the upcoming polls for the council on the party symbol.

The administration had then moved the Supreme Court, which upheld the high court's decree.