India's first electoral exercise amid Covid in Leh records over 65% votes

Srinagar: Over 65% voted in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council polls in Leh on Thursday. This was the first electoral exercise in Ladakh after it was made a Union Territory. According to official data, 58,430 of the 89,789 registered voters turned up. The polling percentage almost equalled the one in 2015. The poll was completed peacefully. Results would be declared on Monday. The process of forming the LAHDC is expected to be completed by the month end.

In the 30-memberLAHDC (Leh), 26 members are elected and 4 nominated without voting right. The outgoing council has 18 BJP representatives, 5 from the Congress, 2 from NC and an independent. The contest was mainly between BJP and Congress as NC and PDP did not take part in the polls. The Aam Admi Party fielded 19 candidates. The elections happened in the shadow of the border conflict with China in eastern Ladakh. A fresh wave of Covid-19 too posed a challenge.

The hill council in Leh was created under LAHDC Act in 1995. Another hill council in Kargil was formed in 2003. Earlier, the Peoples Movement for Sixth Schedule for Ladakh - consisting of influential religious, political, cultural and civil society groups - had called for election boycott demanding constitutional safeguards for the UT. They withdrew the boycott call after home minister Amit Shah promised to address their demands within 15 days of formation of the new council.