Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 7: Amidst growing political tussle between National Conference and Congress, the State Government has decided not to give chance of floor test to National Conference backed Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, headed by Haji Hanifa Mohammad Jan and ordered election of new Chairman on July 18.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the Government has taken note of “virtual political crisis” in Kargil after both the groups backed by National Conference and Congress, who ruled the State as coalition partners for six years till 2014, were tied at 15 each in the Kargil Council having strength of 30 (26 elected and four nominated members). The crisis erupted after Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, an Independent Councilor from Yourbaltak, withdrew his support to Haji Hanifa Mohammad Jan, an Independent, headed Council, reducing its strength to 15.
When contacted, Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Hassan Khan, who served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the LAHDC Kargil, confirmed that election of the Chairman/Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) of Kargil has been fixed at 11 am in Baru Conference Hall on July 18.
“There will be no floor test. The two sides had to give names for the posts of Chairman/CEC of LAHDC Kargil and the election will decide the winner,” Khan said.
To a question if both the contestants get 15 votes each, as is the case presently after Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan withdrew support to NC backed Council, the Deputy Commissioner said, in such a scenario there was a provision in the Council Act to decide the winner by lottery.
“Everything will depend on the voting. If a Chairman gets majority, he will be declared as elected. If there is a tie, the toss will be held,” Khan said, adding that there will be no floor test for the incumbent Chairman of the Council as the present Council has been reduced to minority after the withdrawal of support by Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan.
Incumbent CEC/Chairman, Haji Hanifa Mohammad Jan has reacted very strongly to the decision of the Government not to give chance to him to prove majority in the Council and straightway go for election of the Chairman/CEC.
Jan, an Independent Councilor, who was heading the Council with the support of eight NC members, four nominated Councilors (also affiliated to NC as they were nominated during Omar Abdullah regime) and three Independents before one of them withdrew support, said he will challenge the Government decision in the court of law as the majority was still by their side.
“We will knock doors of the court as we have not been reduced to minority. Both sides have 15 members each. Then how our group can be described as minority group”?, he asked.
However, Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie, Congress MLA from Kargil and former CEC/Chairman of the LAHDC, justified the Deputy Commissioner’s decision to hold fresh election to the Council.
“We have the majority mark. Not 16, but our number will be 18 when the election is held. We will get our candidate elected as the new Chairman/CEC of LAHDC, Kargil on July 18,” Karbalaie said.
On name of the Councilor, who will contest the election of Congress backed CEC, Karbalaie said our Councilors will finalize the name.
Congress has 11 Councilors and support of four Independents presently.
Speculations were rife that Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan, an Independent Councilor, who has joined PDP, could be backed by the Congress group for the posts of CEC/Chairman of LAHDC Kargil. However, a final decision was yet to be taken by the party.
This will be third election of the Chairman/CEC of the LAHDC Kargil in about two and half months. Congress leader Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie was first elected as the CEC after much controversy as despite having majority, Congress had compelled it’s then coalition partner, National Conference to get its Council elected. Though NC president Farooq Abdullah had agreed to the decision, the local NC unit didn’t digest it.
After the ouster of NC, Congress coalition Government and resignation of Karbalaie from the post of Chairman as he was elected as Congress MLA from Kargil, the NC backed Independent Haji Hanifa Mohammad Jan was elected as new CEC.
The CEC election on July 18 will be third election of the Council, which still has half of the term left. The LAHDC Leh and Kargil have term of five years.
It may be mentioned here that the Deputy Commissioner/ CEO LAHDC, Kargil Hassan Khan had few days back issued a circular freezing all powers of the Council citing withdrawal of support to Haji Hanifa Mohammad Jan led Council by Kacho Ahmad Ali Khan and letter written by 15 Councilors led by Congress for dissolution of the Council.
The CEC LAHDC Kargil enjoys the powers of Cabinet Minister while his Executive Councilors have the powers of Deputy Minister.
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