Serious differences have cropped up with the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc in the cold desert as the National Conference announced a consensus candidate for Ladakh Lok Sabha without consulting coalition partner Congress.
The National Conference on Wednesday announced its leader and former Chief Executive Councilor, Haji Hanifa Jan for the lone Lok Sabha seat of Ladakh.
Quoting Nawang Rigzin Jora, the Ladakh Congress president, and former minister from the Leh district, some reports said that no decision has been taken so far regarding a consensus candidate for the Ladakh seat.
Jora reacted immediately after the formal announcement by NC and Congress leaders in Kargil regarding Hanifa Jan's nomination.
Leh district is predominantly inhabited by Buddhists, while Kargil is dominated by Shia Muslims. Two districts are ideologically poles apart and a verdict divide between two districts is always noticed at the time of parliamentary elections.
Kargil Cong leader supports NC candidate
Interestingly, the Leh unit of the Congress opposed the decision of the National Conference to announce a consensus candidate for the Ladakh seat, one of the party's leaders in Kargil supported the move.
Kacho Mohammad Feroz, Executive Councillor, Kargil Council, and senior Congress leader told media persons that they had several rounds of consultations among all stakeholders to bring a consensus over a joint candidate of Congress and National Conference in the larger interests of Ladakh Union Territory.
"We have reached a consensus over the name of Haji Hanija Jan as our joint candidate for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat," he said.
Earlier NC leaders announce a consensus candidate for the Ladakh seat
Earlier on Wednesday morning senior leaders of the National Conference, including the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Kargil Council, Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon, National Conference president of Ladakh, Qamar Ali Akhoon, former CEC Kargil Council Feroz Ahmad Khan, and other councilors of two parties announced a consensus candidate for the Ladakh seat.
"Today, there is complete clarity over the nomination of Haji Hanifa Jan as consensus candidate and it has also been decided that he will contest elections on Congress mandate," Akhoon said.
Akhoon, however, said that the Congress leadership in Kargil has agreed to the consensus candidate of the two parties and he will be contesting elections on Congress mandate.
"Hanifa Jan may be fielded as an independent candidate supported by both parties in the Kargil district if the Leh unit of Congress and other leaders oppose our decision," he said.
Reports said that Congress leadership in Kargil, without taking its counterpart in Leh district into confidence, decided to accept the NC's proposal of fielding its leader on the party's (Congress) mandate from the seat.
As per the seat sharing agreement Ladakh seat is allocated to Congress
The NC and Congress are coalition partners in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil. As per the sharing agreement between the INDIA bloc, NC and Congress will contest three Parliamentary seats in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh each.
Pertinently, the Ladakh unit of the NC was exerting pressure on the Congress to nominate the joint candidate of two alliance partners for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat from the Kargil district only, if the grand-old party really intends to avoid division of votes in the region. For this, the leaders of NC and Congress have had several rounds of parleys to reach a consensus.
As per the notification for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, the candidates can file their nomination papers till May 3, while the last day of withdrawing their nominations is May 6. The polling on the seat will take place on May 20.
