The National Conference (NC) and Congress on October 17 agreed to rotate the post of the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC-K), with the former slated to get the first term on Wednesday.
The name of NC leader Dr. Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon, a retired Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and brother of senior NC leader Qamar Ali Akhoon, has been proposed for the post of CEC. “His (Dr. Akhoon) name was approved unanimously by all the elected councillors and senior members of the party,” said NC leader Muhammad Hanifa Jan. Dr. Akhoon won the hill council elections from the Thasgam-Thuina constituency recently.
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All the 26 elected members, who were declared winners on October 8, participated in a swearing-in ceremony in Kargil on Tuesday. The NC has 12 seats, Congress 10, BJP two, and Independents two in the 26-member LAHDC-K. Four additional seats will be nominated by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration, with two reserved for women, one for minorities and one for an educationist. The NC and Congress contested these polls in alliance and won 22 seats.
The election of the CEC will be held on Wednesday, where the elected members will get to vote. “We are hopeful our candidate will be elected to the CEC post, given the numbers. We have decided to rotate the post of the CEC with the Congress, with each getting two-and-a-half years. The first term will be with the NC,” senior NC Qamar Ali Akhoon told The Hindu.
Mr. Akhoon, also additional general secretary of the party, said the priority of the Council would be to push the overall development of Kargil, with a thrust on sectors like tourism, agriculture, communication network, roadways, and animal husbandry.
“The opening up of the Zojila Tunnel, connecting with Kashmir, and a functional airport in Kargil, will also be on the council’s priority list,” Mr. Akhoon said.
Kargil witnessed the first-ever council polls on October 4 this year since Ladakh was converted into a Union Territory. Ladakh, without an assembly, has two hill councils, one for Kargil and one for Leh. The Leh council is headed by the BJP after winning a majority of seats in the 2020 polls.
