Within minutes after party president Dr. Farooq Abdullah asked his workers and supporters to support Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal in the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, the Ladakh unit of the party tendered mass resignations.
After submitting mass resignations, the National Conference leaders from Ladakh alleged that the party high command was mounting pressure on them to support the Congress candidate.
Notably, as per the seat-sharing agreement between the National Conference and Congress, the Ladakh Lok Sabha has been allocated to the grand-old party.
"We have taken a unanimous decision to field Haji Hanfia Jan on the Ladakh Parliamentary seat", Qamar Ali Akhone, the Additional General Secretary of the National Conference and the incharge of Ladakh told media persons.
"There is no going back because Haji Hanifa Jan is a unanimous candidate of all political parties including the Kargil unit of the Congress", he said and further added that Jan's candidature is also the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
He revealed that the decision to resign was made under pressure, following persistent pressure from the party's higher command. This mass resignation of the leaders of the National Conference from Ladakh exposed a notable division within the JKNC, especially within its Ladakh sector, sparking worries about the party's unity and leadership structure in the area.
The widespread resignation from the Ladakh branch of JKNC indicates a phase of unpredictability for the party in this politically charged region, with potential consequences echoing throughout the local political scene.
As responses emerge and the consequences of this event unfold, interested parties and observers eagerly anticipate more information about the future direction of JKNC's involvement in Ladakh.
NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah has directed the Kargil unit of the party to support the INDIA bloc candidate - T Namgyal in the Lok Sabha election for the Ladakh seat. He has told his colleagues that failure to follow this directive will be seen as a serious breach of party…
— JKNC (@JKNC_) May 6, 2024
Farooq Abdullah asked party leaders to support Congress candidate
National Conference (NC) president Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Monday afternoon directed its Kargil unit of the party to support the INDIA bloc candidate—Tsering Namgyal, a Buddhist Congress leader from Leh who is currently the leader of opposition in Leh Council—in the Lok Sabha election for the Ladakh seat.
Farooq Abdullah rather warned party leaders against defying the direction of the high command.
Dr Farooq Abdullah, through a post on 'X', has conveyed that "failure to follow this directive will be seen as a serious breach of party discipline".
The NC chief's direction comes a day after the senior Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) leader and Independent candidate for the Ladakh seat, Sajjad Kargili decided to withdraw his nomination papers in support of the NC candidate, Haji Hanfia Jan, who was projected as INDIA bloc candidate in Kargil district, as the local Congress leaders have also extended their support to the NC leader.
Farooq, Omar earlier congratulated Haji Hanifa
Interestingly, NC president Dr Farooq Abdullah and vice-president, Omar Abdullah, extended their congratulations to the party's Kargil district president, Haji Hanifa Jan, on his nomination as the joint candidate of NC and Congress for the Ladakh parliamentary seat.
"They express their confidence in his ability to unite the people of Ladakh and advocate for their concerns of ongoing disempowerment since August 5, 2019, in the Indian Parliament. Wishing him the best of luck, they believe he will effectively represent the region's interests on the national stage," the party spokesperson had written on 'X'.
