Srinagar: Congress on Thursday filed a no confidence motion to remove the incumbent Chairperson and Chief Executive Councillor (CEC), Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil (LAHDC-K) Mohd Jaffer Akhoon of National Conference after his refusal to step down and hand power to the grand old party as per the understanding between the allies.
The resolution carrying the signs of the 16 councillors was submitted to Deputy Commissioner Kargil, Rakesh Kumar.
Describing this as “politics”, Akhoon said he will not quit but will continue with his agenda of “development”.
In October 2023, NC emerged as a single largest party with 12 seats while Congress secured 10 seats in 26-member council, prompting them to cobble together an alliance with an understanding of rotation in power after 2.5 years. BJP and independents could only manage two each seats in the 30-member Council. Four seats reserved for women and minorities are nominated by the government.
Ladakh Congress chief Asgar Ali Karbalai claimed that the alliance is “intact” but the no confidence motion is meant for removal of the chairman from the post.
“As per the agreement, power transfer had to happen after two and a half years. The CEC has to resign and hand power to Congress. But despite appeals for smooth rotational shift, this has not happened. Now, eleven Congress and five councillors from the National Conference have signed a resolution for removal of the CEC,” Karbalai said.
The high-altitude Kargil is administered by Autonomous Hill Development Council set up in 2002. The election to the Council is held after every five years and it is led by chairperson and executive council. While the chairperson possesses the rank of cabinet minister, the executive councillors are equivalent to minister of state.
Following the 2023 coalition, both parties agreed to hold the post of chief executive councillor Kargil in rotation. For the first two and a half years the post was to be with NC and for the next two and half years with Congress. The term of NC chairperson according to the pact expired in April and he had to hand over the reins of the Council to the Congress.
A councillor said they wrote a formal letter to NC leadership for transfer of power followed by reminders and meetings without any breakthrough.
NC Councillor Abdul Wahid, who was one among the signatories to the resolution, said they had consent from party leadership for signing the non-confidence motion against their Chairperson.
He said that almost all councillors from their party would have signed the resolution but they were outside Kargil.
“We gave reminders to chairman for stepping down from the post. But he has his own reservations including apprehensions that the Union Territory administration might abolish the Council. But we don’t believe that is going to happen instead the UT administration has signaled to strengthen the Councils,” Wahid added.
On the other hand, Akhoon said that despite the motion being filed against him, he would not quit from the top post. Calling for “wait and watch” approach, he said he acts as a bridge between the UT administration and people of Kargil.
“Situation does not demand to step down right now. New districts were carved out and their delimitation has to be carried out. I can’t leave my people at this stage. I will continue to be CEC,” Akhoon told ETV Bharat.
He said that he won’t give up the post “in the interest of people” and “for their development”.
In Kargil, the 2023 elections were the first such exercise following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and many saw it as a verdict against the bifurication and downgrading of the esrwtwhile Jammu and Kashmir.
