Congress-NC alliance wins 19 of 26 seats, BJP two in key Ladakh election

Srinagar: The National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance emerged as the winners in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council election in Kargil securing a win in 19 constituencies out of the 26 seats that went for polls.

The NC and Congress have termed the win as 'resounding verdict against the BJP'.

The NChas won 11 seats while the Congress has won 8 seats in the 5th LAHDC elections held on October 4, in which voter turnout of 77.61% was registered. The BJP has won two seats and independent candidates have won two seats as well. BJP's prominent leader Haji Anayat Ali also lost the elections in his Poyen constituency against Muhammad Amin of NC by a margin of 360 votes. The BJP has won in two constituencies of Stakchay Khangral and Cha. As per the official information, out of 95,388 voters registered, 74,026 voted in the elections including 46,762 females.

The result is seen as a major setback for the BJP as majority of the voters had expresses 'unhappiness' with the ruling party on the election day as they 'rejected' the decisions of August 5, 2019, when Article 370 ensuring special status to J&K was abrogated. Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah said, "This result sends a message to all forces and parties that have, undemocratically and unconstitutionally, divided the state of J&K and Ladakh without the consent of its people."

Former CM Mehbooba Mufti said that people have expressed their opinion by ensuring the win of secular parties. "Heartening to see secular parties like NC and Congress register their victory. It's the first election post 2019 and people of Ladakh have spoken," she wrote on X.