The ruling Congress and National Conference have begun zeroing in on their choicest candidates for the four Assembly segments in ladakh region where the coalition was non-existent even when the two parties shared the Government at State level.
The process began shortly after the two parties decided to fight the Assembly elections separately. Interestingly, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that failed to field its candidate in the Parliamentary polls, has decided to take a plunge this time.
The NC decided to field sitting legislator Chetan Namgial from Nubra constituency of leh district. The Congress has not decided its candidate from Nubra but the has party decided to field Nawang Rigzin Jora from leh segment. Jora is representing the leh segment since 2002. He has the distinction of serving in the cabinets of all three Chief Ministers of the State for the past 12 years.
The NC has not decided on who would challenge Jora in the Assembly polls. Chetan Namgial won the 2008 Assembly polls as Independent candidate but joined the NC last year. His joining heralded NC’s comeback in the region after the anti-Kashmir separatist campaign was launched in Buddhist dominated leh in 1989.
The NC was earlier the most powerful political party in the region but, its influence was overshadowed by now-defunct ladakh Union Territory Front (lUTF). Many leaders of the lUTF later joined the Congress and the residual part merged with the BJP. Interestingly, the BJP candidate Thupstan Chewang won the recent Parliamentary polls with a wafer-thin margin. His triumph was a major setback to the rift-ridden Congress.
The BJP is rising on the glory of winning the Parliamentary seat. The party is likely to pose a tough challenge to NC and Congress candidates in leh and Nubra constituencies. The BJP has not named their candidates so far. Sources said that Chering Dorje is the front-runner for mandate from leh constituency.
Significantly, Jora’s candidature was finalised by District Congress Committee leh, which sent its recommendation to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The DCC bypassed State Congress headed by Prof Saifuddin Soz.
Meanwhile, hectic deliberations are on in Kargil where the political parties are indecisive on the choice of their candidates. Sources said the NC is contemplating to repeat Feroz Khan from Zanaskar and Qamar Ali Akone from Kargil segment. However, some other aspirants are pulling strings in Srinagar.
The Congress camp is under tremendous pressure to decide on the candidates. Asghar Karbalae, who heads the Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Council is indecisive on fielding his candidates because many aspirations have indicated that they would leave the party if they were ignored.
Sources said that several Congress leaders are in touch with the PDP leadership. The PDP has fielded its candidate in Nubra and is planning to field its candidates on all four ladakh constituencies.