Kargil’s additional voter count shifts dynamics in Ladakh LS polls
The lone Ladakh Lok Sabha seat has Leh, a Buddhist-dominated district with 88,877 voters and Kargi, with 95,926 voters who are predominantly Shia Muslim.
Kargil district in the Ladakh constituency has become a key factor not only in terms of candidates but also because of the number of voters.
With 7,000 additional votes, Kargil could be the deciding factor in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Ladakh.
Ladakh has a total of 1,84,803 voters, with polling here scheduled for the fifth phase on May 20.
According to official data on the ECI website, 92,689 of the 1,84,803 voters in the Ladakh seat are male and 92,114 are female. Leh district has 88,877 voters and Kargil has 95,926.
"Since voters in Ladakh parliamentary constituency are mostly divided on the basis of religion, Kargil district has already gained an advantage over Leh district with 7050 extra voters," political commentators say.
Leh is a Buddhist-dominated district, whereas Kargil is predominantly Shia Muslim.
Of the three candidates, two are from the Leh district and one from Kargil. Observers felt that a division of votes in Leh would benefit the lone contender from Kargil.
Tashi Gyalson (BJP) and Tsering Namgyal (Congress) are the two candidates from Leh, while Mohammad Hanifa Jan, who is running as an independent with the support of Kargil's National Conference and Congress units, is the district's only candidate.
The BJP won the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019 when there were two candidates from Kargil district.
There are a total of 598 polling stations in the constituency.
Officials said that “five polling stations in the Kargil district are inaccessible. These include Itchu, Shun, Shaday, Ralakung, and Phema, and may require air support from IAF.”
Additionally, "some polling stations in the Nubra area of Leh district are also inaccessible, but the administration is of the view that two to three days ahead of polling, when men and materials have to be transported to the polling stations, the road network will be clear and there may not be a need for air sorties," said the officials.
However, there is a backup available in case of emergencies.
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