LEH : His party pushed on to the back foot by BJP’s recent Lok Sabha poll triumph in Ladakh, sitting Leh MLA and Congress minister, Nawang Rigzin Jora, faces an uphill task in the upcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir as he takes on the saffron outfit which is counting on the Narendra Modi factor to see it through.
As he sets out to retain his seat, Jora, 56, has to deal with the challenge posed by BJP’s Chering Dorjay, a former MLA and the Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC).
Leh, which is also called the moonland of J-K and is a trekkers’ paradise, has been a Congress bastion with the party having bagged the seat seven times since the first elections in 1962.
The seat has been won twice by Independent candidates, one of whom was Nawang himself before he later joined Congress.
On the campaign trail, Nawag tells the voters that in terms of development, Leh district was on a par with the rest of the state when it comes to road connectivity, hospital, communication, educational set-up, Mini Secretariat, Alchi power project, etc.
He highlights the multi-sectoral development during his two terms as minister. Appealing to the public for votes, Jora says that he would chart a trajectory of progress and development for the area to make Ladakh a model district.
Jora was a Cabinet minister in the Mufti Sayeed government from 2002-05, which was followed by a tenure under Ghulam Nabu Azad’s chief ministership from 2006-08 and from 2009 onwards as part of the Omar Abdullah dispensation.
Exuding confidence about making it three wins in a row, Jora said, “As far as development is concerned, I can easily claim that Leh has witnessed tremendous activity in the past 12 years.
“On many fronts, the Leh constituency is better than the capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar despite the fact that we have many constraints due to tough terrain and geographical conditions.”
But Jora nonetheless faces a tough challenge this time as, apart from any anti-incumbency, there is the growing influence of BJP which the Congress candidate has to factor in as he goes asking for votes.
Dorjay, the candidate which BJP has pit against Jora, is a strong Buddhist face and a one-time Congress MLA.
He would be fancying his chances in Leh after BJP’s Thupstan Chhewang scored a historic win in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Ladakh.
Chhewang took a lead of more than 5,000 votes over the Congress nominee in the Leh segment, a fact that would add to the party’s fears about retaining the seat.
Dorjay, who last year joined BJP had, as the Congress nominee in the 1996 Assembly polls, bagged 16,712 votes in Leh to defeat his nearest contender Soman Narboo.
Flanked by Chhewang as he addresses the people during campaigning, Dorjay promises overall development of Ladakh andalso talks about Union Territory status for Ladakh.
But the party is also hoping that the Modi factor would bring them all the votes. As the vice president of the Leh district unit of BJP, Nazir Ahmed, told PTI, “We are banking on the charishma of (Prime Minister) Modi. If he comes to Ladakh, it will ensure a cakewalk for our candidates.”
Ahmed adds, “Dorjay is campaigning in the Changthang area while Chhewang is doing so in another belt as the constituency is a large one. Time is very less.”
Nazir slams Congress claiming that the party had not done enough for Ladakh, particularly in Leh district, despite being in power in the state for 12 years and at the Centre for 10 years.
“We are going to the public with poll issues; the demand for Union Territory status, university, speedy construction of Zojila tunnel, development of power, health, education and other infrastructure amidst a boost to tourism and eco- tourism,” he said.
Jora in his rallies tells the people that Rs 1,500 crore- worth of developmental work was undertaken in Leh due to his efforts.
He says that he has had to vigorously chase for projects at the state and central level, securing thus the sanctioning of Rs 217 crore worth of works under JNNURM/UDISSMT along with Rs 250 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana.
“It was due to my personal efforts that the Nimmo Basgo hydro electric project got included in the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan under the UPA government,” he says.
Further listing his achievements, Jora says he got huge funds sanctioned under NABARD, ADB and RAY, which had helped to change the developmental profile of the constituency.
Opening of several new educational institutions, health centres, Rs 39 crore worth golf course and Rs 15 crore worth International Convention Centre, stadium are the other major achievements of the MLA.
Not a single vote had been cast in the 2002 Assembly polls in this constituency as Jora was declared elected unopposed after having been fielded as a joint candidate of the Leh people cutting across party lines. Similar was the case that year with the Nobra segment, where Sonam Wangchuk Narboo was elected unopposed.
As many as 67,758 voters, including 33,610 women, make up the electorate in Leh, where polling is to be held at 211 booths in the first phase of elections in J-K on November 25.
“All arrangements are in place… (including) tight security in Leh district for free and fair elections,” said Leh District Electoral Officer (DEO), Simrandeep Singh. (AGENCIES)
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