Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 17: An estimated 80,811 electorates will be eligible to exercise their right to franchise in October 17 elections to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Develo-pment Council (LAHDC), Leh comprising 26 segments even as the authorities have set up 274 polling stations across the district to facilitate smooth polling in high voltage direct contest between Congress and BJP with latter going all out to wrest control of the Council for the first time in 20 years of its constitution.
Number of the electorates could go up slightly.
Election Authority for LAHDC Leh polls, Prasanna Ramaswamy, the Deputy Commissioner Leh, told the Excelsior that authorities have set up 274 polling stations covering all remote and hilly areas of mountain locked Leh for 26 constituencies to ensure that the people have easy access to cast their vote on October 17. He said 80,811 electorates were so far eligible for the voting to the Council elections to elect their 26 representatives.
Ramaswamy said the district administration was fully geared up to conduct smooth, free and fair polling
“All arrangements were being made for smooth voting on October 17. Right from Leh town to Nobra and the areas falling close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, the administration was fully geared to hold the peaceful and smooth elections,’’ official sources said, adding generally additional paramilitary forces are not required for most of the elections in Ladakh but authorities were mulling to depute some companies of CRPF to assist Leh police in the elections.
As per the official data available with the Excelsior, the LAHDC Leh, which falls in entire Leh district of Ladakh region, has its 26 segments of the Council spread over two Assembly constituencies of Leh and Nobra. Leh Assembly segment has 67,757 electorates and 211 polling stations while Nobra has 13054 voters and 63 polling stations.
The LAHDC Leh had come into existence in 1995 after long drawn struggle of the Leh people for Union Territory (UT) status during the late PV Narasimha Rao regime. The Council had elections after every five years. This is fifth election for the Council, which have been dominated by the Congress barring once when Leh Union Territory Front (LUTF) had captured the Council as an apolitical front.
In the outgoing Council, the BJP had only four seats out of 26 while the Congress had won rest 22. After last year’s Assembly elections, the Congress had expelled one of the Councilor for contesting Assembly elections from Nobra against official party nominee.
BJP leaders, who were spearheading the party campaign in Leh to wrest control of the LAHDC for the first time just like they captured power for the first time in Jammu and Kashmir, were optimistic of an outright victory especially in the wake of last year’s mandate by the Ladakh people in Parliament elections when the people had sent Thupstan Chhewang to the Lok Sabha for first time on the BJP mandate. However, the Congress had avenged the defeat in the Assembly elections within eight months of Lok Sabha polls by winning both Assembly seats of Leh district with comfortable margin.
The Congress leaders were confident of repeating their performance of the Assembly elections in the LAHDC polls and were not worried about Lok Sabha election results.
Official data revealed that Lower Leh segment has highest number of 10052 electorates and 14 polling stations while Skurbuchan constituency has lowest number of 342 voters but 11 polling stations. The segment was scattered in the mountains of Ladakh. Kungyam has highest number of 19 polling stations with 2199 electorates while lowest number of polling stations was five in Upper Leh, which has 3569 voters.
Turtuk has 3022 electorates and nine polling stations while Hundar has 3251 voters with 16 polling stations. Diskit with 11 polling stations has 2382 voters and Tegar with 20 polling stations had 2505 electorates. Pananik segment having 1894 electorates is spread over 16 polling booths.
Chushul with 1825 voters has 10 polling stations. Nyoma with 2426 voters have 11 polling stations. Both Chushul and Nyoma falls close to the LAC bordering China but, according to sources, the civilian population in Leh district was residing in areas far away from the LAC. Moreover, China had never attempted to disturb any elections in Ladakh though Burtse area recently witnessed incursions by the Chinese troops but the issue was immediately resolved by the two sides.
Tangtse segment has 1870 electorates, who will cast votes in nine polling stations while Korzok with 1253 electorates has an equal number of polling booths. Sakti has eight booths and 2784 voters, Igoo 10 polling stations and 2548 voters, Martselang an equal number of booths and 3924 electorates, Thiksay seven polling stations and 4112 voters, Chuchot six booths and 4699 voters, Phyang 13 stations and 8354 voters, Basgo six polling stations and 2854 voters, Sospol 10 polling stations and 2817 electorates, Temisgam six polling stations and 1958 voters, Khaltse 10 polling stations and 2112 voters, Lama-Youru 10 polling stations and 2508 electorates and Lingshet 15 polling stations and 1817 voters.
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