Four days after dropping hints about joining the BJP, expelled National Conference leader Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon formally resigned as Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil.
Following Akhoon's resignation, along with those of nine other councillors, the Ladakh Administration dissolved the Council with immediate effect.
According to an official spokesperson, the Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh ordered the dissolution and de-constitution of the erstwhile LAHDC Kargil in view of the reorganisation of the UT's administrative framework and the creation of new districts.
The order takes into account the resignation of the CEC, three Executive Councillors and six other councillors of the erstwhile LAHDC Kargil on October 20, 2026. It also cites the reorganisation of the territorial boundaries of the erstwhile Kargil district following the creation of new districts, including Drass, Zanskar and Sankoo.
As per the order, the CEC, Executive Councillors and all elected or nominated members of the erstwhile Council shall cease to hold office and exercise their powers as members with immediate effect.
To ensure continuity in governance, prevent an administrative vacuum and maintain the uninterrupted delivery of public services, all powers, duties and functions previously exercised by the erstwhile LAHDC Kargil shall be vested in and administered by the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kargil, on an interim basis.
The interim arrangement shall remain in force until separate Autonomous Hill Development Councils are fully constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils Act, 1997, and the rules framed thereunder, as amended from time to time.
The administration said the move was aimed at ensuring effective governance, maintaining administrative continuity and strengthening grassroots institutions in accordance with the applicable legal and administrative framework.
Akhoon Hints at Joining BJP
On October 17, Dr Mohammad Jaffer Akhoon had announced his intention to step down as CEC. His effusive praise for BJP leaders during a public function fuelled speculation about his next political move.
Addressing a function after Sankoo was granted district status, Akhoon said he had been waiting for the day for a long time and intended to resign as CEC in the coming days. He described the grant of district status as the fulfilment of a long-standing demand aimed at improving administration and accelerating development in the region.
Akhoon expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and others. His warm remarks about national and local BJP leaders strengthened speculation that he might join the party soon.
Expelled from NC on July 18
The National Conference (NC) expelled Akhoon from its primary membership for six years on July 18, citing anti-party activities and indiscipline. The action followed his survival of a Congress-sponsored no-confidence motion with the support of two BJP councillors and four BJP-backed nominated councillors.
The expulsion was announced on the party's official X handle, which stated that NC General Secretary Haji Ali Mohammad Sagar had ordered the action over Akhoon's alleged anti-party activities and indiscipline.
As reported earlier, the NC leadership was unhappy with Akhoon for securing the support of the BJP and four BJP-backed nominated councillors to get the Council's budget passed, bypassing its coalition partner, the Congress.
At the budget meeting chaired by Akhoon, all 12 NC councillors, six BJP-backed members, including nominated councillors, one Congress councillor and one Independent, participated in the proceedings and passed the budget. The support of 20 councillors in the 30-member House gave him a comfortable majority and thwarted the Congress's attempt to remove him.
The crisis began in May, when the Congress, backed by five dissident NC councillors, moved a no-confidence motion against Akhoon. The Congress alleged that he had refused to hand over the CEC post as required under the power-sharing agreement reached by the two parties after the 2023 elections.
The motion was signed by 16 councillors—11 from the Congress and five from the NC—and submitted to Kargil Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kumar, with a request to initiate proceedings under the LAHDC Act. Kargil Congress president Asgar Ali Karbalai subsequently demanded Akhoon's resignation and the transfer of power to his party.
The roots of the standoff lie in the October 2023 LAHDC Kargil elections. The NC emerged as the single-largest party, winning 12 seats in the 26-member elected Council, while the Congress secured 10. The BJP and Independents won two seats each. Four nominated councillors appointed by the administration take the total strength of the House to 30.
Following the fractured verdict, the NC and the Congress formed a coalition and agreed to rotate the CEC post every two-and-a-half years, with the NC leading the first half of the five-year term and the Congress taking over for the second half.
The arrangement was announced by Omar Abdullah, then a senior NC leader and now the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Akhoon was elected Chairperson-cum-CEC on October 18, 2023, and completed two-and-a-half years in office on April 18, 2026. However, he did not step down, delaying the swearing-in of a Congress nominee as envisaged under the power-sharing agreement.
