National Conference has now joined hands with rival Peoples Democratic Party to lead the council. (Express Photo by Shuaib Masoodi/Representational)Blaming the Congress for BJP’s win from Ladakh parliamentary seat, the National Conference (NC) ended its alliance with the party in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil. The rivalry between two friendly political parties brought Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and NC closer and the PDP has joined the Council in Kargil.
On Thursday, the National Conference kicked out Congress from the Executive council of LAHDC Kargil. The decision to break partnership with Congress was taken after the win of BJP candidate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal from Ladakh and the deafeat of independent candidate journalist-turned-politician Sajjad Hussain. An independent candidate, Hussain was backed by both National Conference and the PDP.
Hussain was expected to comfortably win the seat but his hopes were dashed when Congress leader Asgar Karbalai filed his nomination creating a vertical split in Kargil vote. The split in Kargil vote meant that BJP candidate Namgyal comfortably won the seat by over 10000 votes.
While Congress had officially fielded Rigzin Spalbar – a Buddhist leader from Leh- as its candidate for the seat, National Conference and other political parties allege that Karbalai was their proxy candidate and his jump into elections helped BJP to secure the seat.
“Congress ensured that they will help the BJP to win (from Ladakh),” Additional spokesman of National Conference Imran Nabi told The Indian Express. “Sajjad (Hussain) was our common candidate but Congress played the foul. It is because of these policies that Congress finds itself at the position where they are right now.”
Nabi said that while Karbalai filed his nomination as an independent candidate, Congress remained silent on it. “They (Congress) have not thrown him out or issued any sort of notices to him,” he said. “He happens to be a very senior leader of Congress and the party hasn’t said anything about it.”
The LAHDC Kargil was led jointly by the National Conference and the Congress. In a 30 member house – 26 elected and four nominated – National Conference had 14 members while Congress eight.
National Conference has now joined hands with rival Peoples Democratic Party to lead the council. However, both the parties have termed the alliance as a “local arrangement” keeping in view the local circumstances and politics.
