Five in fray for Ladakh Lok Sabha seat; 3 nominations rejected

Leh, May 4 (PTI) Nominations of two covering candidates and an Independent were rejected during scrutiny of papers for the Ladakh parliamentary constituency on Saturday, the Returning officer said.

The rejections left only five candidates in the fray, Santosh Sukhadeve said.

Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency, the largest in the country with a total area of 173.266 sq km and more than 1.82 lakh voters, will go to polls in the fifth phase of elections on May 20.

The last date for withdrawal of the candidature is May 6.

After scrutiny, nomination forms of five candidates were found valid, while the candidatures of BJP’s and Congress’s covering candidates Stanzin Lakpa and Smanla Dorje Nurboo were cancelled.

The nomination of Independent candidate Ghulam Nabi Zia, whose form was found incomplete, was rejected as well, Sukhadeve told PTI.

Of the five remaining candidates, BJP’s Tashi Gyalson and Congress’s Tsering Namgyal are from Leh. The three Independents, Mohmad Haneefa Jan, Sajjad Hussain, and Kacho Mohd Feroz are all from Kargil.

Thupstan Chhewang won the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat from the BJP for the first time in 2014.

He resigned from the party in 2018 and is presently heading the Leh Apex Body, which, along with Kargil Democratic Alliance, is spearheading an agitation for restoration of statehood and extension of the sixth schedule of the Constitution to the Union Territory.

The BJP managed to retain the seat in 2019 general election through Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who, after he was denied a ticket this time, openly revolting against the party.

He, however, joined the campaign for the party nominee Gyalson on Friday, ending the over week-long uncertainty in the party camp.

Congress has won the seat six times — the highest, National Conference twice, and Independents thrice since it came into existence in 1967.