Kargil, April 8, (Scoop News)-Taking a hint from the expected division of votes in a particular community of Ladakh region, two political-arch rivals in Kargil district have joined hands and decided to field a common candidate from the area in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
Ladakh constituency is going to polls on May 7, the last phase of Parliamentary elections in 2014.
Two top religious bodies, Islamiya School Kargil (ISK) and Imam Khemeini Memorial Trust (IKMT) have decided to field their common candidate as an Independent for Ladakh Parliamentary constituency against the joint candidate, Tsering Samphel, of Congress_ National Conference (NC) coalition.
IMKT is a traditional supporter of Congress party and ISK is known for backing NC in the region. Both of them are powerful religious bodies and hold a perspective that the coalition candidate ought to have been fielded this time from Kargil, a Shia majority district.
“We were rather forced to contest this election. We expected Congress party to field its candidate from here this time but they gave the seat to a candidate from Leh “, said a senior leader of IMKT, requesting not to be named,
In 2009 elections, ISK had supported Hassan Khan from Kargil as Independent candidate from the region and won it after defeating P Namgyal from Leh of Congress party with over 3600 votes.
Reliable sources in ISK, said, ” we have already decided to field our own candidate from here (Kargil) again this time and therefore would not be supporting the coalition candidate from Leh”.
Several names have cropped up and were being currently deliberated upon including Aga Sayeed Kazim, Fida Hussain, Murtaza Khalili and Kachu Asfandyar Khan, Kachu Mohammed Hussain, Aga Syed Hassan Arman, Kachu Mohammed Ali Khan figured among others to be fielded as a prospective candidate.
Both Thupstan Chhewang of Bhartiya Janta Party and Tsering Samphel of Congress party belong to predominantly Buddhist Leh district.
Chhewang had won the seat as an Independent candidate from Ladakh constituency in 2004.(Scoop News)
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