Setback To NC Alliance Ahead Of Kargil Municipal Polls As Three Leaders Join BJP, Congress

Ladakh's political landscape has shifted ahead of the November 21 local body elections, with the BJP and Congress inducting prominent leaders from the National Conference (NC). The BJP has welcomed former NC leader and LAHDC Kargil Chief Executive Councillor Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon, while Congress has inducted local figures Raza Abbasi and Fida Hussain.

The developments have reshaped political equations in Kargil, setting the stage for a three-cornered contest as the NC enters an alliance with the Jamiat Ulama Isna Asharia Kargil (JUIAK). Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon, former chairman and Chief Executive Councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, formally joined the BJP at an event in Kargil on Saturday, in the presence of senior BJP Ladakh leaders.

The NC expelled Akhoon for six years on July 18 after he refused to honour a 2023 pre-election rotational power-sharing agreement with Congress. Under the arrangement, the Chief Executive Councillor's post was to be handed to the other party after two-and-a-half years.

Akhoon had temporarily retained his position by defeating a Congress-backed no-confidence motion with the support of BJP councillors. However, following the mass resignation of several key council members, the Lieutenant Governor's administration formally dissolved the LAHDC Kargil on October 21.

After joining the BJP, Akhoon invoked the slogan “Modi hai toh mumkin hai”. He said discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had convinced him that working with the Centre offered the best route to securing district status and improved healthcare infrastructure for Kargil.

In a separate event organised by the Ladakh Territorial Congress, the party inducted Raza Abbasi and Fida Hussain, responding to the BJP's move. Abbasi is the son of former Zanskar MLA Haji Abbas and previously served as director of the sheep husbandry department in Ladakh before retiring.

Hussain is a respected social worker in the region. Ladakh Congress working president Asgar Ali Karbalai welcomed the two leaders, with the party expressing confidence that their entry would strengthen its prospects, particularly in Zanskar and the upcoming municipal committee elections.

The political realignments come weeks before the November 21 panchayat and municipal elections. The NC has allied with JUIAK, also known as the Islamic School of Kargil, to contest all 17 municipal seats through a mutually agreed candidate-selection process.

The alliances and defections are expected to shape the electoral contest across Kargil.