A WARNING FOR THE BJP

In what was being touted as a referendum against the annulment of Article 370 and a test for the Opposition's INDIA bloc, the National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance swept the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council election in Kargil, bagging 22 of the 26 seats that went to the polls this month.

- Moazum Mohammad

The NC emerged as the single largest party with 12 seats, followed by the Congress with 10. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Independents managed to corner just two seats each in the 30-member council. (Four seats, reserved for women and minorities, are filled via nomination.)

Unlike in the past, this hyperlocal election was being keenly watched well beyond Ladakh's borders. For, it was the first electoral exercise in Kargil district since Ladakh was separated from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and downgraded to a Union Territory without a legislature in August 2019. Local issues such as sadak, bijli and paani took a back seat as the alliance partners made Article 370 and related issues like identity, unemployment, land rights and disempowerment the talking points during the campaign that saw former J&K chief minister and NC vice-president Omar Abdullah urge people to use their vote as a “public verdict” on the Narendra Modi-led Union government’s unilateral decision.