Early Times Report
Jammu, Dec 27: : Elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, are likely to be held next year, as the administration has initiated the preliminary process, official sources said.
The five-year term of the BJP-controlled LAHDC Leh expired on October 31, but elections could not be conducted following unprecedented unrest in Leh on September 24, 2025. No fresh notification for holding elections to the representative body has been issued so far.
With the expiry of its term, the strategically important Leh district—bordering China and Pakistan—remains without an elected local body responsible for addressing the civic and developmental needs of the people. Kargil district, meanwhile, has a separate LAHDC.
Opposition parties have accused the authorities of deliberately delaying the elections, alleging that the political atmosphere was highly charged against the BJP following police firing on September 24, which resulted in four deaths and injuries to over 90 people.
During the unrest, a mob ransacked the LAHDC office and set fire to several buildings, including the BJP office in Leh.
Public resentment was further fuelled by the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the alleged non-fulfilment of promises made by the BJP during the previous elections. The people of Ladakh are demanding Sixth Schedule status and full statehood.
Sources said that the ongoing probe into the September 24 violence is likely to be concluded in January next year, and after completion of the probe, elections for the LAHDC Leh would be announced.
In the 2020 LAHDC elections, the BJP had won 15 of the 26 seats. The two LAHDCs—Leh and Kargil—were constituted in 1995 to decentralise governance in the region. |
