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Leh Hill Council polls: Anurag Thakur intensifies campaign, Naqvi to reach on October 9
Elections for the 30-seat council will be held on October 22.
After Apex Body of People’s Movement (ABPM) relented and withdrew its poll boycott call, Union minister Anurag Thakur reached Leh on Wednesday to intensify BJP’s campaign for ensuing elections to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.
Elections for the 30-seat council will be held on October 22. Anurag is on a three-day visit to the region. Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will also reach Leh on October 9.
“Thakur has kick-started poll campaign, in favour of party candidates, here on Wednesday. He held a series of meetings with party organisational secretary Ashok Koul and other leaders to ensure that BJP romps home with full majority,” a party leader said.
Two more Union ministers, Kiran Rijiju and G Kishan Reddy, will also visit Leh and will be accompanied by party general secretary and MP Arun Singh.
In the last elections conducted in 2015, BJP had won 18 of total 26 seats. On October 3, BJP had claimed that people are in its favour and it will make a clean sweep in the LAHDC-Leh polls.
The polls are being held amid resentment over Centre’s failure in ensuring constitutional protection for Ladakh’s resources and cultural identity.
“People are in favour of BJP and the issue of Sixth Schedule is over because the Apex Body of People’s Movement (ABPM), comprising of older leaders, recently went to Delhi and met Union home minister Amit Shah. Shah assured to fulfil their demand,” said LAHDC chief executive councillor and BJP leader Gyal P Wangyal.
Former BJP lawmaker Thupstan Chhewang has formed ABPM to seek constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule on the lines of north-eastern states. Following Shah’s assurance, the body withdrew its call for a boycott of the council polls.
Chering Dorjay, a member of the apex body, said, “After Ladakh was given UT status without legislature on August 5 last year, locals wanted safeguards under the Sixth Schedule for their land, jobs, language and culture.
“Within 15 day of the culmination of the hill council polls, Shah has assured to provide us safeguards under the Sixth Schedule. However, the exercise has to be preceded by participation of the representatives elected in the polls. Further, we have to take people of Kargil on board,” he said.
LADAKH WILL GET MUCH MORE THAN SIXTH SCHEDULE: THAKUR
Union minister Anurag Thakur said people of Leh will get much more than just Sixth Schedule. He assured that their land, culture, ethnic values, etc will be safeguarded.
Addressing a press conference in Leh, Thakur said, “It was a long pending demand of Ladakh to get UT status. It happened only when Narendra Modi became Prime Minister.”
“I am a four-time MP from Himachal Pradesh and my father was a three-time MP, two-time CM, and two-time leader of Opposition. Yet we cannot purchase land in tribal areas of Himachal because Section 118 gives protection to the natives of Himachal for their land holdings,” he assured.
“And this is when we don’t even have the Sixth Schedule there. People of Ladakh so not need to worry about this,” he added.
