Srinagar: The Ladakh state election commission on Tuesday notified December 4 as the polling date for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections, with the entire process scheduled for completion by December 8.
State election commissioner Sudhanshu Pandey announced the timeline on Tuesday under Rule 12 of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (Election) Rules, 2026. LBA president Chering Dorjay Lakrook, who also heads the Leh Apex Body (LAB), cited dissatisfaction with the newly finalised 100-constituency delimitation process, unfulfilled promises regarding liquor policy reforms following protests by women’s groups, and a lack of faith in the administration’s sincerity. Jan warned that sub-zero temperatures (ranging from -20°C to -25°C), heavy snowfall, road blockages, and seasonal migration of senior citizens, traders, and students to warmer regions like Jammu, Srinagar, and Delhi risk disenfranchising a large portion of the electorate.
The notification applies across all eight newly configured districts of the Union Territory—comprising Leh and Kargil as well as the newly created council divisions of Drass, Zanskar, Sankoo, Sham, Nubra, and Changthang. The electoral rollout has triggered political backlash across the region. Shops, commercial establishments, and private offices remained shut in Kargil town as well as outlying areas such as Drass, Sankoo, and Zanskar. Public transport remained off the roads under a security blanket of reinforced police forces deployed as a precautionary measure. Organised by the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA)—an umbrella group of political, religious, trade, and civil society organisations—the shutdown exempted medical facilities, water supply, and school buses. Ladakh Lok Sabha MP Mohmad Haneefa Jan has written to lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena urging a postponement of all local body and council polls to spring (April–May).
The KDA also scheduled an evening “Save Democracy” candlelight march against the timing of the elections, alleged delimitation irregularities, and what they termed the erosion of democratic rights. Kargil observed a complete shutdown on Tuesday to protest holding council elections during extreme winter conditions.
