Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 16: With National Conference and Congress falling apart and out of power after the Assembly elections, the Congress is in for major trouble as it was going to be reduced to minority in Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil especially after the election of Chief Executive Councilor (CEC) Haji Asgar Ali Karblaie to the Legislative Assembly from Kargil seat.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Congress will be reduced to minority in the House of 30 in LAHDC Kargil after the election of Karblaie to the Assembly and could face trouble in getting its candidate elected as the CEC once Karblaie quits after taking oath as MLA. On the other, the National Conference Councilors, who were earlier feeling let down by their party, have now geared up themselves to form their Council after the exit of Karblaie.
The NC now wants to form the Council at any cost as it failed to win even a single seat in entire Ladakh region. While Congress won three, the fourth seat went to an Independent.
Karblaie, however, told the Excelsior on telephone that there was no threat to the Congress in the Council.
“I will resign as the CEC and Councilor after taking oath as an MLA. However, we are confident of getting support of at least two Councilors from NC and four nominated Councilors to stay in power. We will prove our majority,’’ he said.
In the House of 30, presently there was tie between NC and Congress at 15 each though NC claimed that it has 16 members. However, after Karblaie’s resignation, strength of the Congress will be reduced to 14 and the party will be in minority but Karblaie claimed that they will get support of two more Councilors.
The claim of Karblaie was rebuked by the National Conference, which said they already had majority with 16 members in the Council but a no confidence motion moved by them against the Congress headed Council in March 2014 was not allowed to be moved.
“We had majority earlier also. We have 16 members but our high command sacrificed us to keep the Congress in good mood to run the coalition Government smoothly. However, with NC and Congress having fallen apart and no more in power, we will vote out the Congress and form our Council,’’ a senior National Conference Councilor said.
According to NC and Congress leaders in Kargil, both parties were presently tied at 15 each in the House of 30 but after Karblaie quits the membership on taking oath as MLA, the Congress strength will be reduced to 14 and the NC would be able to pass no-confidence against Congress and form the Council.
In the elections held to LAHDC Kargil in September 2013, Congress had won 10 seats followed by 8 of National Conference and 8 Independents. Only 26 members are elected in the Council while four others were nominated by the Government. Of 8 Independents, four each had sided with NC and Congress, taking strength of Congress to 14 and NC to 12. However, NC had nominated four Councilors on its own without taking Congress into confidence taking party strength to 16 and reducing Congress to minority with 14 members.
As standoff persisted between NC and Congress, then Union Minister and NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah had allowed Congress to form the Council in the interest of NC-Congress coalition in September 2013. But within six months, NC had moved no-confidence motion against Congress in March 2014, which was not taken up.
According to sources, now when NC and Congress contested the Assembly elections separately and both parties were out of power, the NC has decided to topple the Congress Council in Kargil and form its own. The NC has decided to go aggressive as it lost Kargil Assembly seat to Congress in recently held Assembly elections. NC virtually drew a blank in Ladakh region while Congress won three out of four seats. One seat had gone to NC backed Independent.
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