NC faces setback as Kargil unit members resign en masse

Srinagar, May 6: In a massive blow to the National Conference (NC) ahead of the Ladakh Lok Sabha elections, several members of the Kargil unit tendered their resignations on Monday. The move comes amidst escalating political tensions in the region, with the resigning members citing pressure to support the Congress candidate as their reason for departure.
The decision to resign was communicated to NC President Farooq Abdullah by the party’s additional general secretary for Ladakh, Qamar Ali Akhoon, in a letter outlining the unit’s collective stance. Addressing the media, Akhoon revealed that he and his colleagues had faced mounting pressure from the party’s high command to endorse Tshering Namgyal, the official Congress candidate for Ladakh. In defiance of this directive, they opted to step down from their positions within the party.
Akhoon emphasized that the decision to support Namgyal contradicted the stance adopted by the Kargil Democratic Alliance, prompting the unit to align itself with Haji Hanifa Jaan as their preferred candidate.
Earlier, rift between the NC and Congress surfaced when the NC expressed its desire to nominate Haji Hanifa Jaan from the Kargil region, backed by the Kargil unit of Congress. However, disagreement brewed from the Leh unit of Congress, leading to Namgyal’s nomination instead. The decision left NC pondering its next move in the electoral chessboard. Congress and NC had earlier announced a collaboration for the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh elections. With Ladakh’s seat designated to Congress, this move intensified the divide between the two parties.