New Delhi (Agency): In compliance with a directive from the Supreme Court of India, the administration of Ladakh has revised the schedule for elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in the Kargil region. According to the new notification, the elections for 26 out of the 30 seats in the LAHDC will now take place on October 4. Counting of votes will happen on October 8.
The previous notification had scheduled the elections for September 10, with the counting to be held on September 14. Under the new schedule, the process for filing nominations begins on September 9, and the last date for filing is September 16. Candidates can withdraw their nominations until September 20.
The Supreme Court overturned an earlier notification from August 2 by the Ladakh administration, instructing it to issue a fresh notification within seven days. It imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on the Ladakh administration and also dismissed its appeal against a High Court ruling that had granted the ‘Plough’ symbol to the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC). The Supreme Court stated that the JKNC is “entitled to the exclusive allotment of the plough symbol for candidates proposed to be put up by it.”
Following the court’s order, the Election Department of Ladakh declared, “In pursuance to the order of Supreme Court, the symbol ‘Plough’ is hereby reserved for the J-K National Conference Party for the ensuing elections to the 5th Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil.”
National Conference leader Omar Abdullah urged party workers and leaders to prepare for the upcoming elections. The Model Code of Conduct, which governs election behavior, will be in force from the date the new notification is published and will stay in place until the election process is completed. It will be applicable across the entire Kargil District.