Despite claims by BJP leadership of achieving consensus among all leaders, the sitting Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal was noticeably absent when party candidate Advocate Tashi Gyalson filed his nomination papers for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat.
Tashi Gyalson, Chief Executive Councillor of Leh and the party’s candidate for the Ladakh Parliamentary constituency, along with his supporters and party workers, submitted his nomination for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Leh. Accompanying him were Ashok Koul, General Secretary (organization) of BJP J&K and Ladakh, Sat Sharma, former Minister, Ch. Vikram Randhawa, former MLC, and Satish Sharma, a senior leader.
Also present during the nomination were Phunchok Stanzin, President of Ladakh BJP, Tashi Gyaltsan Kachu, District President, Stanzin Lakpa, Dorjey Angchuk, PT Kunzoke, Ali Chandan, Fayaz Ahmed Qaari, Bilal Ahmed, Gailek, and other senior leaders of BJP Ladakh, along with party workers and supporters.
Despite efforts by Kiran Rijiju, Union Minister, to manage the situation in Ladakh, Namgyal chose to skip the function where the party candidate filed his nomination papers. Rijiju, who arrived in Leh on Monday afternoon, held closed-door meetings with senior BJP leaders, workers, and prominent Buddhist leaders of Ladakh.
Notably, BJP had assigned four senior leaders, Ashok Koul, Sat Sharma, Vikram Randhawa, and Satish Sharma, to Ladakh to address the concerns of the incumbent MP, Jamyang Tsering Jamgyal, who felt overlooked by the party for the lone Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming elections.
On April 25, Namgyal condemned false statements attributed to him criticizing the Prime Minister, reaffirming his loyalty to the party. This came after Namgyal expressed dissatisfaction with the party’s decision on April 23, criticizing his replacement with Tashi Gyalson as unjust. He pledged to carefully assess the situation before deciding his next steps. On Tuesday, Namgyal’s representatives obtained a nomination form for him as an Independent candidate.
Meanwhile, the BJP candidate conducted a rally in Leh, starting from the party office and passing through various locations before concluding at the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Phunchok Stanzin urged voters to support the BJP candidate, emphasizing Tashi Gyalson’s commitment to local development issues, promising unprecedented development in the region under the Modi government.
Tashi Gyalson highlighted BJP’s track record of working for the welfare of the marginalized, pledging to address the region’s aspirations and issues with the strong support of the Modi government.
