Ladakh Administration Likely to Vest Hill Council Powers with Local Officer as Term Ends

SRINAGAR: With the five-year term of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh set to expire on November 1, the Union Territory administration, in consultation with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is likely to vest the powers of the Council in a local officer, possibly the Deputy Commissioner, who also functions as the Council’s Chief Executive Officer, according to reports appearing in the media.

The Council, constituted on November 2, 2020, will complete its full term on November 1, 2025. However, elections for the new Council have not been announced, largely due to administrative transitions following the creation of five new districts in Ladakh, which have yet to take shape on the ground. With the Municipalities and Panchayats having completed their terms in late 2023, the Hill Council remains the only elected body in Leh — one that will also cease to exist next week.

Officials said that under the existing provisions, the government may either extend the Council’s tenure by six months or transfer its powers to the Deputy Commissioner for the interim period until elections are held. However, given the recent unrest in Leh following the September 24 violence, in which four civilians were killed and about 90 others, including security personnel, were injured, the administration is leaning towards assigning the Council’s powers to a local officer rather than extending the term.

A final decision is expected within the coming days. The Bharatiya Janata Party has ruled the Leh Hill Council for two consecutive terms and also held the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in 2014 and 2019 before losing it in 2024.

Either extending the Council’s term or assigning its powers to an officer would provide the administration until May 2, 2026 to conduct fresh elections. Given that the harsh winter season in Leh limits outdoor activity, the polls are likely to be held only by mid or late April next year.

The MHA had on August 25, 2024 approved five new districts for Ladakh, followed by an announcement on December 3 granting 33 per cent reservation for women in both the Leh and Kargil Hill Councils. Of these, three new districts were proposed for Leh and two for Kargil. However, no formal creation of districts or seat reservation process has been initiated even 14 months after the announcement.

As the new districts have been carved out of existing Leh and Kargil territories, the Home Ministry must now decide whether each of the seven districts will have its own Hill Council or whether a revised governance structure will be introduced. Sources said elections are likely to take place only after the reorganisation of districts and implementation of the women’s reservation policy.

Each of the Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils comprises 30 members, with 26 elected seats and four nominated by the administration. If 33 per cent reservation is implemented, around eight or nine seats would be set aside for women, subject to identification of specific constituencies.

Leh witnessed violent protests on September 24, when the youth wing of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) demanded that talks with the MHA, originally scheduled for October 6, be advanced. Following the violence, which claimed four lives, the LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) initially boycotted the October 6 meeting but later participated in the October 22 Sub Committee talks in New Delhi after the MHA announced a judicial inquiry into the incident. Both groups described the latest meeting as “very fruitful.”