INDIA VOTES 2024: Setback for NC as its Kargil leaders refuse to support INDIA candidate

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, May 6

In a major development which has made the politics of Ladakh ahead of Lok Sabha poll on May 20 complicated, all leaders of the National Conference (NC) in Kargil on Monday resigned from the party after they were asked to support INDIA bloc candidate, Tsering Namgyal, instead of Independent candidate Haji Hanifa Jan.

The political situation in Ladakh had become complex a few days ago when Congress and NC units of Kargil vowed support for Hanifa Jan, the district president of NC, as an Independent candidate. On the other hand, the INDIA bloc official candidate, Namgyal, who is a Congress leader, was supported by the Congress party’s Leh unit. The high command of the NC was silently watching the developments in the region even as its alliance with the Congress had reached the brink over the issue in the UT.

In an official statement by the NC, the party asked its Kargil leaders to support Namgyal as he was the official candidate of the alliance.

“NC chief Farooq Abdullah has directed the Kargil unit of the party to support INDIA bloc candidate T Namgyal in the Lok Sabha elections for the Ladakh seat. He has told his colleagues that failure to follow this directive will be seen as a serious breach of party discipline,” stated an official statement by the NC.

Soon after the party issued the statement, the local leaders of NC Kargil submitted their mass resignation. In a letter to Farooq, Qamar Ali Akhoon, additional secretary of the NC, said Haji Hanifa Jan was the joint candidate of social, political and religious organisations of Kargil and was being supported by everyone. He said: “As the party is insisting on us to go against the interests of the people of Ladakh, we are compelled to resign en-masse from all party posts.”

The resignation by the Kargil unit of NC might further increase the complexities for the official INDIA bloc candidate as he is competing with BJP candidate Tashi Gyalson in Leh and his own party members (Congress) and NC in Kargil. Two candidates, including Sajjad Kargili and Kacho Mohammad Feroze, withdrew their nominations on the last day of withdrawal on Monday. Now, only three candidates remain in fray, including Independent candidate Haji Hanifa Jan.

Pressure unacceptable

The NC high command is pressuring us to support the official candidate of Congress from Ladakh, which is unacceptable to us. — Qamar Ali Akhoon, senior NC leader