Srinagar: Congress and the National Conference have unveiled their 'joint' candidate for Ladakh, but tension brews in Leh district.
The National Conference has nominated Haji Hanifa Jan, their Kargil district leader, for Ladakh's solitary parliamentary seat in the Union Territory, igniting dissent within the Leh unit of Congress. Jan officially filed his nomination papers on Wednesday.
Nasir Munshi, Congress president in Kargil district, told ETV Bharat over the phone that both parties have backed Haji Hanifa Jan as their joint candidate. They are poised to launch their campaign soon for the Ladakh seat going for polls on May 20, 2024.
Munshi, accompanied by former MLA Asgar Ali Karbalai, secured approval from the Congress leadership in Delhi for Jan's nomination. Additionally, Munshi confirmed the joint nomination of Hanifa Jan in Kargil district by both parties.
However, Congress leader and former minister Nawang Rigzin Jora told ETV Bharat that the Leh unit of Congress has opted to nominate young leader T Namgyal as the candidate for the INDIA bloc. Jora emphasized that the decision to field Hanifa Jan from Kargil district was made locally, a move Leh does not support.
Munshi clarified that both the National Conference and Congress have endorsed Hanifa Jan. Should another candidate emerge from Leh district, both parties will support Hanifa Jan as an independent candidate. Hanifa Jan, a seasoned leader of the National Conference, previously chaired the Kargil Hill Development Council for five years.
Initially, under the INDIA bloc's agreement, Congress was to nominate a candidate. However, the National Conference has taken the lead in contesting the seat.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faces hurdles in this seat as their incumbent MP, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, was overlooked and did not secure a mandate this time. He is planning to contest independently. BJP nominated former Leh BJP President and ex-Leh Hill Development Council Chairman Tashi Gyalson, who also submitted his nomination papers today. If Namgyal contests against BJP, the road ahead will be tough for the saffron party.
While goes Historically, in elections since 1967, Congress has clinched victory six times, NC twice, independents thrice, and BJP only twice. The BJP has been dominant since 2014, with Congress last tasting victory in 1996. NC secured wins in 1998 and 1999, but subsequent elections in 2004 and 2009 saw independent candidates representing the parliamentary constituency.
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