Ending all suspense over its candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat of Ladakh, BJP on Tuesday dropped the outspoken Member of Parliament from the cold desert Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and cleared the name of Tashi Gyalson for this seat.
Tashi Gyalson is the Chief Executive Councilor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh.
For the last one month, there has been suspense over the name of the BJP candidate for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat because residents of Ladakh have expressed their anger over the style of functioning of the Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, popularly known as JTS.
For the last one year, residents of Ladakh have been agitating for the sixth schedule and statehood but JTS failed to interact with the agitating people.
Sources in the BJP said that the high command was annoyed by JTS’s style of working as he has been treating himself as a very important person, especially after his speech in the Lok Sabha after the abrogation of Article 370.
“Ongoing agitation in Ladakh has virtually been hijacked by the leaders of the Congress and the National Conference. The sitting Lok Sabha member has failed to control opposition parties to hijack the stir”, a senior BJP leader told the Gaon Tribune, adding, “Instead of visiting Ladakh to engage the agitating people into dialogue, JTS usually stay at Delhi”.
Wishing for anonymity, the leader said that it is all due to immature behaviour and casual approach of the sitting Lok Sabha Jamyang Tsering Namgyal that ongoing agitating in Ladakh is spread in the cold desert.
Sources said that veteran politicians of Ladakh, especially Thupstan Chewang and others have also expressed their anger over the high-headedness and attitude of JTS, who was once a private secretary of the Chewang when he was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2014.
Sources said that JTS has been dropped to placate some annoyed leaders of Leh Apex Body (LAB) who are spearheading the agitation.
“Instead of using their influence to counter the influence of NC and Congress leaders in the ongoing agitation, local BJP leaders are functioning as mute spectators”, sources said and pointed out that the high command has taken very serious note of such attitude of local BJP leaders.
Sources said that the high command is not happy with the working of Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who is busy is taking publicity at the national level instead of solving the problem at Ladakh.
Namgyal was removed as Ladakh BJP chief in January 2022
After the beginning of the agitation in Ladakh, JTS never used his influence to prevent the stir from becoming a mass movement.
In January 2022, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal was removed from the post of party president of Ladakh to placate annoyed members of the Leh Apex Body.
The LAB had earlier criticized Namgyal for trying to hoodwink the Ladakhi people.
After his speech in the Parliament on the 6th schedule, Namgyal faced criticism from the LAB for not taking a stand on the issue
The Apex Committee had taken strong exception to the statement made by Jamyang Tsering Namgyal in the Parliament, demanding an amendment in the LAHDC Act 1997 to confer a safeguard to Ladakh on the lines of the 6th schedule.
The BJP had appointed former executive councillor Phunchok Stanzin as the new party president of Ladakh. Phunchok replaced the party’s sitting Lok Sabha member Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who is BJP’s face in the mountainous region of Ladakh.
Namgyal was appointed Ladakh BJP president on July 20 2020. As per the constitution of the BJP, the tenure of a president is three years.
Namgyal had earned national fame after his spirited speech in the Parliament after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories (UTs).
BJP moving cautiously on Ladakh seat
The BJP leadership is moving cautiously on the Ladakh seat because of the ongoing agitation.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the BJP candidate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who was then sitting Chairman-cum-CEC of LAHDC Leh recorded an impressive victory margin of 10,930 votes over NC, PDP, and Islamiya School Kargil joint candidate, Sajjad Kargili. Namgayal polled 42,914 votes as against Sajjad Karigili’s 31984.
The 2014 Lok Sabha elections marked a pivotal moment as the BJP clinched victory in Ladakh for the first time. Historically, the Congress has been the dominant force here, winning six times, while the NC secured victory twice, and independent candidates triumphed thrice.
The political landscape in Ladakh has undergone significant shifts, notably after the abrogation of Article 370, granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir. With Ladakh now a separate union territory without its own legislative assembly, the stakes are higher than ever. The BJP faces the challenge of securing a third consecutive victory in this critical constituency amidst calls for a separate statehood movement.
Protests have erupted in Leh and Kargil, highlighting local discontent. The Ladakhi movement’s momentum could pose a substantial challenge to the BJP’s electoral prospects. Traditionally a Congress stronghold, with the NC also enjoying significant support, both parties are in talks regarding seat sharing, with reports suggesting the NC may concede the Ladakh seat to the Congress. However, official candidate announcements are pending from both parties.
Examining Ladakh’s electoral history reveals the pivotal role of independent candidates, disrupting the dominance of major political parties.
- In 1989, independent candidate Mohammad Hassan Commander stopped the Congress’s winning streak by winning this seat.
- 1996 Lok Sabha elections Phuntsog Namgyal of the Indian National Congress won this seat.
- Syed Hussain of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference won this seat in 1998.
- In 1999 it was again Hassan Khan of J&K National Conference who won this seat.
- In 2004 Thuptasan Chewang emerged victorious as an Independent candidate.
- 2009 Lok Sabha elections Hassan Khan emerged victorious as an Independent candidate.
- In 2014 BJP created history when its candidate Thupstan Chhewang won this seat.
- Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, a young leader became a Lok Sabha member from this seat as a candidate of the BJP.
