Before the beginning of the counting of the votes for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil elections, local leadership both the National Conference and Congress opened the channel with communication with "potential" Independent candidates in the fray.
25 Independent candidates are trying their luck for the 26 constituencies of the LAHDC Kargil. Voting for the 26 constituencies of Kargil Council was conducted on Wednesday and counting will be held on October 8.
Candidates of the National Conference and Congress are locked into "friendly" contests on as many as 13 seats of the LAHDC Kargil but the parties are trying to rope in Independents much before the beginning of counting to muster the majority after declaration of the results.
Wishing anonymity, a Ladakh-based Congress leader told The International Bussiness Times that instead of taking support from the National Conference the party would prefer to rope in some Independents to muster the majority on its own.
"We are hopeful to emerge as the single largest party. We are already in touch with some potential Independents to get their support in case of shortage of some seats", the Congress leader said.
As far as the National Conference is concerned, Kargil-based party leaders are also in touch with some strong Independent candidates to take their support in case of a shortage of the majority.
Kargil Council records nearly 78% of polling
The LAHDC Kargil recorded nearly 78 percent of voters turning up at polling stations to seal the fate of 85 candidates in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).
According to the statistics, as many as 74,026 voters including 48625 males and 46,762 females out of the total 95,388 electors visited the polling booths and voted through EVMs.
Saliskut constituency recorded the maximum polling with over 90 percent of voters turning up to exercise their right to franchise where the BJP, NC, and Congress have entered a triangular contest.
Apart from this, at least eight constituencies recorded over 80 percent polling.
85 candidates in the fray for 26 seats
Out of the total 85 contesting candidates, a maximum of 22 belonged to Congress, while the National Conference and the BJP have fielded 17 candidates each. 25 Independents have also tried their luck while four candidates belonged to the Aam Adami Party (AAP).
The elections to constitute the fifth Council—the first in Kargil after the abrogation of Article 370 and grant of Union Territory (UT) status to Ladakh—hold great significance as two key political parties—NC and Congress—having a strong presence in the district joined hands and announced a pre-poll alliance with a sole objective to keep the BJP out of the 30-member Council.
In the last Council in Kargil, the BJP had three members, only one of whom was elected on its ticket. The other two had switched allegiance from the PDP.
