NC will hand over Kargil council reins to Congress, Farooq Abdullah says after ‘feud’ | India News
SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday said his party will hand over the chairmanship of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC-K) to the Congress with a 2023 accord between the allies, moving towards de-escalating the crisis caused by the incumbent chief’s refusal to step down.“We are handing it over (chairmanship of the Council) to the Congress,” Farooq told TOI.The strain has deepened over the past two weeks after the Congress accused LAHDC-K’s current CEO NC’s Mohammad Zafar Akhun of refusing to step down after the two-and-a-half-year term agreed between the allies after the 2023 elections. Akhun recently cited administrative fallout over the creation of five new districts in the union territory as a reason for not resigning.The NC emerged as the single largest party in the October 2023 elections with 12 seats in the 30-member council. Congress won 10. The allies combined to hold 22 seats, six more than a majority. BJP won two seats.Amid the tension, Asghar Ali Karbalai, the Ladakh chief of the Congress, dismissed reports of a dispute, insisting there were no differences between the allies over the council. He said the chief’s rotation system will be in line with the 2023 agreement and the change will be formalized soon. NC-backed Ladakh MP Mohammad Hanifa also intervened in the clash, insisting that the council was stable and internal issues were being resolved.The 2023 elections were politically significant as they were held after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the formation of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir as two Union Territories (UTs). NC Vice President and J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed gratitude for Congress’ “unwavering support” and thanked the people of Kargil for supporting the alliance.Ladakh UT has two hill councils – LAHDC-K and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Leh (LAHDC-L). Leh Council was established in 1995 and one for Kargil in 2003.The Center had approved five new Ladakh districts in August 2024. Lieutenant-Governor Binai Kumar Saxena notified them on April 26 this year, taking the total to seven. The new districts are Sham, Nubra, Changthang in Leh and Zanskar and Drass in Kargil. It is not clear whether these will come under Kargil and Leh Councils or have separate bodies.
