SETBACK TO THE SAFFRON PARTY IN THE 5 th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil elections as Congress wins on 10 & NC on 12 seats, BJP wins on merely 2 !

After the abrogation of article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir in 2019 and Ladakh splitting in the process being converted into a union territory , its first LAHDC Kargil elections were held in which the centrally ruled Bhartiya Janata Party suffered a huge setback when it secured merely two seats with one going to an independent candidate while its traditional rival Congress won on 10 seats and National Conference led by veteran leader and former J&K CM Farookh Abdulla clinched triumph on 12 seats sending jubilation in the opposition camps and I. N. D. I. A too, as both Congress and NC are important ingredients of the new anti BJP conglomeration and saffron party’s traditional rivals.

This shocking defeat of Bhartiya Janata Party at the hands of the National Conference and Congress party in the elections of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council Elections after results of 22 seats were declared out of 26 with NC bagging 12 and Congress 10 with the BJP getting merely two seats has indeed send a negative signal for the ruling party not only in Jammu and Kashmir but also in the country.

Kindly recall that the elections of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council Kargil were held on 4 th October in which 77.61% votes were cast. A total of 74,026 electorates including around 46 thousand women voters had voted in 278 polling stations in 26 constituencies in Kargil.

The PDP chief and former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti in her congratulatory message expressed her jubilation on the record victory of both Congress , NC and BJP losing badly.

She wrote on X, earlier twitter : Heartening to see secular parties like NC & Congress register their victory in Kargil. It’s the first election post 2019 & people of Ladakh have spoken, tweeted Mehbooba Mufti.

The newly elected council need to constituted by 11 October. These Development Council Kargil elections were held on the directives of the hon’ble Supreme Court with Ladakh administration announcing the new schedule.

Though these elections are local but the trend really reflects the mood of the people after the abrogation of the article 370 and both J& K and Ladakh which were earlier a full fledged state with special constitutional privileges. After the abrogation of article 370 J & K and Ladakh were converted into union territories.

In a hard hitting message on X, earlier twitter after the grand victory of NC Congress alliance Omar Abdullah, former CM of Jammu and Kashmir wrote :

The BJP was dealt a resounding defeat at the hands of the NC-

@INCIndia alliance in Kargil today. In celebration of our strong alliance with the Congress party, the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference is delighted to announce its victory in the LAHDC Kargil elections. This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh without the consent of its people. This victory belongs to the people of Zanskar, Kargil, and Drass, who have decisively endorsed the National Conference-Congress alliance. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the elected councillors, recognizing their dedication to serving the people. We also extend our gratitude to the leadership of the Congress party for their unwavering support. These election results should serve as a wake-up call for the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is time to cease hiding behind the Raj Bhawan and unelected representatives and, instead, acknowledge the people’s rightful desire for a democratically elected government in Jammu and Kashmir. Democracy demands the voices of the people be heard and respected. We also take this opportunity to extend our sincere appreciation to our dedicated party workers who toiled day and night, persevering through challenging conditions, to ensure that on the day of reckoning, the JKNC flag would soar high. JKNC remains committed to the principles of democracy, justice, and unity, working tirelessly to uphold the rights and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

The former Union environment minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted : The national media of course will blank it out, but trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP. This is a direct impact of

@RahulGandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month.

The vociferous Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate has posted pictures of Rahul Gandhi with a child and a family in Ladakh during his stay there few months ago and tweeted on X :

Congress + NC : 22 BJP : 2 Independent : 1 The people of Ladakh- Kargil have spoken decisively. A resounding mandate for us in the Ladakh-Kargil Autonomous Hill Council elections – the first electoral exercise since abolition of Art 370. In August

@RahulGandhi ji’s Bharat Jodo Yatra all across Leh-Ladakh met and assured the people of the region that their voices matter.