A vertical split within the opposition INDIA bloc has come to the fore in the Ladakh Union Territory after the Kargil units of Congress and National Conference (NC) jointly announced the candidature of former chief executive councilor and senior NC leader, Haji Hanifa Jan for the lone Lok Sabha seat.
Nawang Rigzin Jora, the Ladakh Congress president and former minister from Leh district, responded succinctly, stating, “No decision has been taken so far,” 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.
“We 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 Ladakh Lok Sabha seat,” Kacho Mohammad Feroz, Executive Councillor, Kargil Council and senior Congress leader told reporters in Kargil.
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JKNC President Dr. Farooq Abdullah and VP @OmarAbdullah extend their congratulations to JKNC District President Haji Hanifa Jan on his nomination as the joint candidate of JKNC and @INCIndia for the Ladakh Parliamentary Lok Sabha seat.
They express their confidence in his…
— JKNC (@JKNC_) May 1, 2024
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Flanked by senior leaders of National Conference, including the incumbent Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Kargil Council, Mohd Jaffer Akhoon, NC president of Ladakh, Qamar Ali Akhoon, former CEC Kargil Council Feroz Ahmad Khan and other councilors of two parties, the senior leader said, “Today, there is a 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,” he said.
Talking to The Gaon Tribune, Qamar Ali Akhoon, however, said that the Congress leadership in Kargil has agreed to the consensus candidate of 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 Kargil district if the Leh unit of Congress and other leaders oppose our decision,” he said.
Interestingly, the Congress high command, however, is yet to make a formal announcement with regard to the nomination of Haji Hanifa Jan as the consensus candidate of INDIA bloc for the Ladakh seat.
Sources claimed that the 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.
The NC and Congress are coalition partners in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil. As per seat sharing agreement between 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 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 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.
CLARIFICATION:
I’ve been receiving numerous calls asking whether the Kargil Democratic Alliance has been consulted regarding the selection of the Ladakh Lok Sabha candidate.
As a core committee member of the #Kargil Democratic Alliance, I’d like to clarify that both @JKNC_ and…
— Sajjad Kargili | سجاد کرگلی (@SajjadKargili_) April 30, 2024
Earlier Sajjad Kargali has clarified that agitation Kargil Democratic Alliance was not consulted by any of the party while sealing seat sharing formula for the only seat of Ladakh.
“I’ve been receiving numerous calls asking whether the Kargil Democratic Alliance has been consulted regarding the selection of the Ladakh Lok Sabha candidate. As a core committee member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, I’d like to clarify that both @JKNC_ and @INCIndia have independently selected their candidates for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat within their respective parties. As of now, not a single meeting of KDA was held on this matter”, Sajjad Hussain popularly known Sajjad Kargali posted on his social media account.
Sajjad Kargali is also representative of Jamiat ul Ulama Isna Asharia Kargil-Ladakh.
