NC, Congress sweep LAHDC-Kargil polls, win 22 seats

The National Conference and the Congress together won 22 seats in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election, officials said on Sunday. The election to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC)-Kargil was the first poll to be held after Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. Twenty-six seats of the council went to polls on October 4. The administration nominates four members with voting rights to the 30-member council. According to the officials, the National Conference (NC) won 12 seats, making it the single largest party, while its ally Congress registered victory in 10. The BJP won two seats, while two Independent candidates also registered victory, they said. The election recorded 77.61 per cent polling with 74,026 of the 95,388 voters exercising their right. The existing council headed by the NC’s Feroz Ahmad Khan completed its five-year term on October 1. The new council will be in place before October 11. The NC and Congress had announced a pre-poll alliance but fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively. Both parties said the arrangement was restricted to areas where there was a tough contest with the BJP. The BJP, which won one seat in the last election and later took its tally to three with the joining of two PDP councillors, had fielded 17 candidates this time. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) tried its luck on four seats while 25 Independents were also in the fray. Electronic voting machines were used for the first time for the council elections which took place at 278 polling stations across the district.