9 segments record above 80 pc voting
With no Assembly, electorates say Council is their only hope
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 4: A massive 77.61 percent turnout was recorded for 26 seats in fifth election to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil in the Union Territory of Ladakh today. Voting ended peacefully with no untoward incident reported from any part of the district.
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Nine constituencies recorded about 80 percent voting, official data released by the Election Authority for the LAHDC Kargil this evening, revealed.
Saliskut segment registered highest 90.07 percent turnout while lowest 69.03 percent polling was recorded in Cha.
“No untoward incident was reported from any of the 26 Assembly constituencies. There was also no major complaint from any of the 85 contestants in fray. Voting remained completely peacefully,” the officials said, adding the process for transportation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to district headquarters in Kargil has begun.
The EVMs from nearby Polling Stations were shifted to the headquarters this evening while from far-off and hilly areas; they will be brought tomorrow morning. Counting will take place for all 26 constituencies simultaneously on October 8.
There were a total of 95,388 electorates eligible for voting for 26 seats including 48625 male and 46762 females. Of them, 74026 cast their votes today accounting for 77.61 percent.
Long queues were seen outside all 278 polling stations even before the start of the voting at 8 AM. Of 278 stations, the administration had declared 114 as hyper sensitive and 99 as sensitive. Police personnel from the Union Territory of Ladakh had been deployed in strength at all the polling stations but voting remained peaceful.
Fate of 85 candidates has been sealed in the EVMs after the voting. They included highest 25 Independents followed by 22 from Congress, 17 each from National Conference and Bharatiya Janata Party and four of Aam Aadmi Party.
The LAHDC Kargil is 30 members body but elections are held for 26 seats while four Councilors are nominated by the UT of Ladakh administration.
A number of electorates to whom the Excelsior correspondents spoke in different constituencies said after Ladakh became the Union Territory without Legislature, their all hopes for local issues are pinned on the LAHDC.
“We want better road connectivity, clean water and, above all, job opportunities for our children. For this, we need good representatives in the Council,” they said.
Ladakh has only one Lok Sabha seat. Besides the two Councils in Leh and Kargil, it has two Municipalities and 198 Panchayats in the two districts.
The voters demanded that their Council should be further empowered so that it can execute development works and provide job opportunities.
In the outgoing Council, National Conference had highest 10 Councilors, Congress 8, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) two, BJP one and Independents five. However, after the elections, two PDP Councilors had joined the BJP. With four nominated Councilors also affiliated with the BJP, the party’s number had gone up to seven.
This time, however, the National Conference and Congress have already announced post-poll alliance for the LAHDC Kargil to keep the BJP away from power. However, NC and Congress candidates contested elections against each other on most of the seats.
New Council will be in place before October 11. The existing Council headed by National Conference’s Feroz Ahmad Khan completed its five-year term on October 1.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used for the first time for the Council elections.
The elections to LAHDC-Kargil was rescheduled from September 10 to October 4 on the directions of the Supreme Court which took serious note of the UT administration denying the “plough” symbol to National Conference candidates.
Holding that the National Conference is entitled to its symbol, the Supreme Court dismissed the Ladakh administration’s plea on the issue and also imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on it.
Though senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during his nine-day trip to Ladakh in August, also addressed a public meeting in Kargil, the party’s campaigning was mostly done by local leaders of the party from Ladakh. NC leader Omar Abdullah stayed in Kargil for three days holding rallies for the party candidates. Union Minister of State for External Affairs and culture Meenakshi Lekhi and BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgayal also addressed rallies and campaigned for the party.
NC leader Feroz Ahmed Khan served as Chairman-cum-CEC of the LAHDC Kargil for full term of five years in fourth Council, first with support of the Congress and then with backing of Independents.
Constituencies Total Votes Percentage
Votes Polled
Ranbirpora
(Drass) 5080 3760 74.02
Bimbhat 5885 4468 75.92
Shargole 5077 3768 74.22
Pashkum 3911 3228 82.54
Tai-suru 3864 3086 79.87
Parikachik 3720 3130 84.14
Karsha 3938 2883 73.21
Padum 4788 3305 69.03
Cha 1767 1347 76.23
Chuliskamboo 3917 3061 78.15
Kargil town 3575 2680 74.97
Baroo 3470 2742 79.02
Poyen 3881 3175 81.81
Yurbal tak 3925 3158 80.46
Silmoo 3571 2635 73.79
Choskore 3513 2573 73.24
Trespone 3760 3044 80.96
Gund Mangalpur 3313 2794 84.33
Saliskut 2356 2122 90.07
Lankarchey 3219 2410 74.87
Thangdumbur 2886 2137 74.05
Thasgam thuina 3596 2858 79.48
Barsoo 3457 2607 75.41
Shaker 2677 2213 82.67
Chiktan 2814 2270 80.67
Stakchay khangral 3428 2572 75.03
District Total 95388 74026 77.61
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