Ladakh Dissolves Kargil Hill Council and Announces Panchayat Polls Amid Shift in Local Governance

The administration dissolved the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council in Kargil on Wednesday, leaving the region with only its Member of Parliament as an elected political representative. This decision followed the recent resignation of Chief Executive Councillor Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon, who stepped down after refusing to hand over his post to a coalition partner, alongside other councillor resignations from the National Conference, Congress, and BJP. The move also came days after talks between Ladakhi leaders and the Centre ended in a stalemate on October 15, and months after the approval of five new districts in the Union Territory. Last month, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena approved a plan to set up a separate hill council in each of the seven districts, and the government notified new regulations on Wednesday to raise the total number of elected seats across the region from 52 to 100. On Thursday, the administration announced that panchayat elections for 193 panchayat halqas will take place on November 21, marking the first such polls since the abrogation of Article 370.

Reactions

The changes have triggered mixed responses from local political figures regarding whether district-level bodies can satisfy Ladakh's broader demand for a legislature and political autonomy. Kargil Democratic Alliance co-chairman Sajjad Kargili criticized the move, citing the reported failure of District Development Councils in Jammu and Kashmir. Conversely, former Chushul councillor Konchok Stanzin supported the reorganisation, arguing that smaller districts like Changthang—which spans 20,000 square kilometers for roughly 16,000 residents—need localized governance to overcome bureaucratic rule and low population density, where Leh and Kargil previously averaged just three and ten people per square kilometer.

Context

Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory without a legislature from Jammu and Kashmir following the revocation of Article 370. Regional groups have since pressed for four key demands, including constitutional protections under the Sixth Schedule. The practical success of the newly expanded hill councils will depend heavily on how quickly fresh elections are organized to restore local representation.