The political parties in the union territory of Ladakh have unanimously resolved to boycott elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh scheduled for October 16, until the Centre grant it powers on the pattern of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) under the 6th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The boycott could mean trouble for BJP.
A representative delegation of three top political leaders met the Ladakh LG, Radha Krishna Mathur and submitted a letter through him to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking intervention as the newly-formed Union Territory should not be left without legislature.
Former Lok Sabha member of BJP Thupstan Chhewang; former Rajya Sabha member of the National Conference Kushok Thiksey; and former Minister of the PDP-BJP government in J&K Cering Dorjay comprised the delegation. They are among the senior Ladakhi politicians who resigned from BJP and NC and have not joined any party.
Chhewang said. "We have made it clear that in case the J&K UT gets back statehood, the UT of Ladakh must also get a legislative assembly. That's our right as, before splitting the state into the two UTs, Ladakh was also its part".
Under the J&K Reorganisation Act, passed by Parliament in August 2019, the erstwhile state of J&K was stripped of its special constitutional status and divided into the two UTs of J&K and Ladakh. While J&K retained the legislative assembly, the UT of Ladakh was left without any legislature. Making Ladakh a Centrally governed UT was a long time demand of the people of Buddhist-dominated Leh district.
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