Kargil hill council polls: National Conference, Congress alliance crosses halfway mark

The National Conference and the Congress had won 17 of the 26 seats by 8 pm on Sunday in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil election, PTI reported.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on two seats, while an Independent candidate has registered victory on one seat, officials said. The counting for the remaining six seats was still underway.

The elections were the the first polls to be held in Kargil since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status. The erstwhile state had also been bifurcated into two Union Territories.

The Kargil hill council has 30 seats. Elections are held on 26 seats, while four members are nominated by the Union territory administration. The outgoing council headed by the National Conference leader Feroz Ahmad Khan completed its five-year term on October 1. The new council will have to be in place before October 11.

Also read: In first elections in Kargil since 2019, ‘partition’ from Jammu and Kashmir on voters’ mind

The first autonomous hill council elections in Leh district were held in the same year. Eight years later, another hill council was announced for the Kargil district of the region. Elections to both councils take place every five years, though...

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