Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, May 5: As over a fortnight long campaigning came to an end today, no senior leader of National Conference or Congress, the two coalition partners, campaigned for Alliance candidate Tsering Samphel in Ladakh seat. The reasons for Alliance leaders staying away from Congress campaign were many including entry of a Congress rebel in fray and upcoming Assembly elections in which the equations were likely to be different especially in the mountain locked region.
On the other, four prominent National Conference leaders today held another grand rally in Kargil in support of Independent candidate Syed Mohammad Kazim Sabri in open defiance of the party decision, which had put up a joint candidate from Ladakh (Congress nominee Tsering Samphel).
Four NC leaders, who addressed the rally of Sabri and openly called upon the people to support him instead of Samphel, included Qamar Ali Akhoon, Advisor to the Chief Minister in Cabinet rank, Feroz Khan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, sitting MP from Ladakh Ghulam Hassan Khan and Kacho Ahmed Khan, former CEC, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil.
Official sources told the Excelsior that no star campaigner from Congress visited Ladakh to campaign for the party as campaigning for the seat, which would go to elections on May 7, ended at 6 pm today. Even Congress leaders from Jammu and Kashmir including Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad, who has close rapport with the people in both the districts of Ladakh (Leh and Kargil) didn’t pay a single visit to the constituency. PCC (I) chief Prof Saif-ud-Din Soz, who had taken a stand for formation of Congress headed LAHDC Kargil despite short of majority, also stayed away from the campaigning.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who had campaigned for Congress candidates in Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha seat (Madan Lal Sharma) for four days and Udhampur-Doda Parliamentary seat (Ghulam Nabi Azad) for two days didn’t pay a single visit to Ladakh. Even the Ladakh Affairs Minister Abdul Rahim Rather too abstained from the campaigning.
However, Congress candidate Tsering Samphel was satisfied with the campaigning.
Samphel told Excelsior: “our campaign was based on our performance..like what we have done for the people…the performance of our Minister (Urban Development Rigzin Jora)..our LAHDC Leh CEC and Councilors..our other leaders. We held extensive campaign starting from a big rally in April 15 followed by meetings and door-to-door canvassing”.
Samphel said the people of Ladakh can’t be fooled by “hollow slogans” of the BJP and they were wise enough to know that which party and leaders were capable of ensuring development of Ladakh.
“Yesterday, the BJP said they would give Union Territory status to Ladakh soon after forming the Government at Centre. Is it possible? We too stand for UT status but it would come whenever Kashmir issue is resolved,” Samphel said.
Political observers felt that major reason for the Congress star campaigners staying away from campaigning in Ladakh was that none of them was in a position to give categoric assurance on UT status to Ladakh like BJP leader Nitin Gadkari did yesterday. Another reason could be the presence of Congress rebel Ghulam Raza, former MLA from Zanskar in the fray.
Yet another reason was that none of the two parties-NC and Congress wanted to anger the two powerful religious bodies of Kargil-Islamiya School and Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust, which have fielded their candidates as their support was crucial for the two parties in the Assembly elections. Islamiya School is traditional support of NC while IKMT generally backs Congress. In September last, the Congress had gained immensely in LAHDC, Kargil and formed the Council snatching majority from the NC.
Sources said both NC and Congress didn’t want to lose the support of religious bodies as the Assembly elections were not far away, which was the reason that they supported the candidates backed by the religious bodies.
It is worthwhile to mention here that the Congress hasn’t expelled Raza from the party. Even the Congress leaders made no attempt to persuade Raza to retire from the contest, which give rise to speculations that he was in the fray with tacit understanding of the Congress leadership, which wanted Independent candidate Sabri’s votes to split in Kargil.
LAHDC, Kargil CEC Asgar Ali Karblaie and former Minister for Social Welfare Haji Nissar Ali, both of whom were prominent Congress leaders of Kargil, have been openly canvassing for Raza, who was backed by powerful religious body-the IKMT.
Though National Conference was supposed to back Congress nominee Tsering Samphel on Ladakh seat as per the seat sharing agreement between the two coalition partners, its prominent leaders in Kargil openly defied the party and campaigned for Independent candidate Syed Mohammad Kazim Sabri, who is backed by another powerful religious organisations-Islamiya School Kargil (ISK).
Sources said Qamar Ali Akhoon, MLA Kargil and Advisor to the Chief Minister, Minister of State Feroz Khan, sitting MP and NC leader Ghulam Hassan Khan and former CEC LAHDC Kargil Kacho Ahmed Khan today openly canvassed for Sabri at a public rally in Kargil. Earlier, they had been holding closed door meetings in support of Sabri.
In 2009 Parliament polls, Ghulam Hassan Khan had won the seat as Independent candidate with the backing of the ISK while Karblaie had secured handsome 24,498 votes with the backing of IKMT. Khan had polled 32,694 votes leaving behind Congress candidate P Namgayal, who had secured 28,986 votes while BJP backed Thinless Angmo had got 22,716 votes. PDP’s Ghulam Murtaza had polled 642 votes.
This time BJP candidate Thupstan Chhewang, former MP, is riding high with the backing of BJP high command to his demand of UT status for Ladakh, BJP star campaigners Nitin Gadkari and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had held rallies in Leh and Kargil respectively in support of Chhewang.
The Ladakh constituency has just 1.6 lakh electorates, the lowest in the State for any Parliamentary segment. Even the votes were almost equally divided between the two districts with Leh having 79042 electorates and Kargil 81,319.
Mr Chhewang, who has been openly canvassing for UT status to Ladakh, told the Excelsior that he consistently stood for the UT status to mountain locked region notwithstanding his affiliation to whichever party or organisation.
“I have always stood for UT status to Ladakh and I’m committed to my demand,” Chhewang said, adding the people of Ladakh deserved the UT status. Worthwhile to mention here that Chhewang had won Ladakh seat in 2004 as Congress candidate but later floated Leh Union Territory Front (LUTF) as Congress didn’t endorse the demand for UT status to Ladakh.
The Ladakh constituency has just 1.6 lakh electorates, the lowest in the State for any Parliamentary segment. Even the votes were almost equally divided between the two districts with Leh having 79042 electorates and Kargil 81,319.
Ladakh is always known for good turnout in the elections though the percentage has come down over previous three elections. In 1999, Ladakh had recorded 81.88 per cent voting, which came down to 73.52 per cent in 2004 and 71.86 per cent in 2009.
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