INDIA VOTES 2024: Rift in Ladakh Congress as Leh Council LoP files papers as party’s candidate

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, May 2

Tsering Namgyal, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Leh Hill Council, today filed nomination as the Congress candidate for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, creating a rift between the Leh and Kargil unit of the national party.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Kargil unit of Congress and district leaders of the NC (both part of the INDIA bloc) had named Haji Hanifa Jan as the candidate for LS polls.

In a press conference, the leaders had jointly state that in case the Congress high command came up with another name, they would proceed with Jan as their candidate. The Congress high command officially declared Tsering Namgyal as its candidate on Wednesday evening.

Talking to The Tribune, Hanifa Jan said he would file nomination as an Independent candidate on Friday. Jan, who is an NC leader, will contest as an Independent as the NC and Congress have an understanding that they would contest on three seats each in J&K and Ladakh. The NC is contesting the three seats of the Valley and the Congress has been given two Jammu seats and the lone seat of Ladakh.

After filing his nomination, Namgyal urged voters to vote for the Congress in large numbers. “It is important to save the Constitution of the country and for this, it is important that people use their vote and save the identity of Ladakh,” he said. He said be it the Sixth Schedule status, statehood or employment, he would strongly take up these matters before the Centre.

While Congress leaders of Kargil, including party’s district chief Nasir Hussain Munshi and senior leader Asgar Ali Karbalai, wanted Jan to be the party candidate, the Leh unit of the party wanted Namgyal to be the party nominee.

Former minister and senior party leader Rigzin Jora had urged the party’s high command to name Namgyal as the candidate from Ladakh.

Insiders say the decision of the party high command has created a rift between the Buddhist-dominated Leh and Muslim-dominated Kargil units of the party. “If Hanifa Jan contests as an Independent and is supported by Kargil Congress and NC, the position for the official Congress candidate will become weak when compared to BJP candidate Tashi Gyalson. There will be immense division of votes for all three candidates,” said a Congress leader.

He added that while the Buddhist vote bank in Leh would get divided in favour of Gyalson and Namgyal, the Muslim voters were likely to get united in favour of Hanifa Jan. On Wednesday, Congress and NC leaders had held a media briefing in Kargil and announced that they had reached a consensus on the name of Hanifa Jan as the candidate for Lok Sabha polls to be held on May 20.

Will hurt INDIA bloc’s prospects

If Hanifa Jan contests as an Independent and is supported by Kargil Congress and NC, the position for the official INDIA bloc candidate will become weak compared to BJP candidate Tashi Gyalson. — Cong leader