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Leh hill development council goes to polls today
Amid a straight contest between arch-rivals BJP and Congress, the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh will go to the polls on Thursday.
Amid a straight contest between arch-rivals BJP and Congress, the 30-member Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh will go to the polls on Thursday.
Additional district commissioner (ADC) of Leh, Sonam Chosjor, who is also the returning officer for the polls, said, “We have made all the arrangements. Polling parties along with polling material have reached the 294 booths set up in 26 constituencies across the district.”
Out of the 294 polling booths, 15 have been identified as hypersensitive while 45 are sensitive.
It may be stated here that 94 candidates are in the fray for the 26 seats.
“Two polling parties were airlifted in IAF choppers to two booths in Changthang area on Tuesday. Polling will be held on Thursday from 8am to 4pm and the results will be declared on October 26,” said Chosjor.
Elderly voters cast ballot in advance
The ADC also informed that as a special arrangement for elderly voters above the age of 65 and the differently-abled, the administration had reached out to them on October 13 and 14. “Our teams took personal ballot from them at their homes,” he said.
Around 1,000 elderly voters had availed the facility, he informed. These included 104-year-old Abe Tsering of Kunjus.
EVMs make a debut
For the first time, the LAHDC polls are being held using electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The temperature in the cold desert plummets to sub-zero during winter, which has just set in.
BJP and Congress have fielded their candidates on all the 26 constituencies while Aam Admi Party’s 19 and 23 independents are in the fray.
A total of 89,788 voters will elect 26 councillors to the LAHDC, while four will get nominated to the 30-member council.
