NC-Congress alliance sweeps Ladakh-Kargil polls post Art 370 abrogation

The National Conference and Congress have together won 17 seats so far in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election with the counting of votes still underway, officials said on Sunday.

Of the 26 seats for which elections were held on October 4, results of 20 seats have been declared so far, they said.

The administration nominates four members with voting rights to the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil.

According to the officials, the National Conference has so far won nine seats while its ally the Congress registered victory in eight.

The Bharatiya Janata Party won two seats, while an Independent candidate has registered victory on one seat, they said.

The election, which saw a triangular contest among the NC, Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in most of the 26 seats, is the first key poll in Kargil after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the creation of the Ladakh Union territory.

It recorded a 77.61 per cent polling with 74,026 of the 95,388 voters exercising their right.

The existing council headed by the NC's Feroz Ahmad Khan completed its five-year term on October 1.

The new council will be in place before October 11.

The NC and Congress had announced a pre-poll alliance but fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively. Both parties said the arrangement was restricted to areas where there was a tough contest with the BJP.

The BJP, which won one seat in the last election and later took its tally to three with the joining of two PDP councillors, had fielded 17 candidates this time.

The Aam Aadmi Party tried its luck on four seats while 25 Independents were also in the fray.

Electronic voting machines were used for the first time for the council elections which took place at 278 polling stations across the district.