BJP bags 15 out of 26 seats in LAHDC polls, first big win since Ladakh's UT status

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday secured its first major victory in the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh after it swept the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) polls in Leh bagging a whopping 15 out of 26 seats. BJP's Ram Madhav took to Twitter to announce the development. 

Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal also took to Twitter expressing his gratitude towards the citizens of Ladakh for showcasing faith in the BJP, thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda and other senior leaders of the party. "We are indebted to you for your utmost trust and confidence in us. We shall strive towards fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Ladakh," read the Ladakh MP's post. 

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LAHDC-Leh Polls

The LAHDC, Leh elections that took place on October 22 and recorded a 65.07 per cent turnout. An electorate of 89,776, including 45,025 women from the region voted in the 294 polling stations that were set up across 26 constituencies of the Leh district. Around 94 candidates including 26 each of the BJP and Congress ran for the  LAHDC, Leh elections. This year, the Aam Admi Party (AAP) tried its luck for the first time fielding 19 candidates. The remaining 23 contestants were independents.

This is the second consecutive win for the saffron party which had won the LAHDC-Leh last elections, wrestling long-standing victors Ladakh Union Territorial Front and Congress out of power. However, this is the first time that the saffron party has secured a massive victory in the newly established UT of Ladakh, post the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the Jammu and Kashmir.  Since the formation of the hill council in 1995, the Congress had swept the poll thrice while the Ladakh Union Territorial Front had won the elections in 2005.

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(With Agency Inputs)