Sunni Community Urges Inclusion In Hill Council Representation, Seeks LAHDC Leh Election Postponement
Organisers stated that without addressing these issues, the elections would remain unrepresentative and exclude a section of the population from fair democratic participation.
Published : August 1, 2025 at 7:01 PM IST
|Updated : August 1, 2025 at 7:12 PM IST
By Rinchen Angmo Chumikchan
Leh: The Sunni community in Leh organised a human chain at Main Bazar near Jama Masjid on Friday afternoon, calling for inclusiveness in the upcoming Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh elections.
Protesters held placards and banners under the theme ‘Human Chain for Inclusiveness’, demanding the postponement of the LAHDC Leh elections until key issues are addressed. Their primary demands include the delimitation of councillor constituencies, particularly the inclusion of a Lower Leh constituency; an increase in the number of Executive Councillors from five to nine and full empowerment of the LAHDC, Leh. Organisers stated that without addressing these issues, the elections would remain unrepresentative and exclude a section of the population from fair democratic participation.
Dr. Abdul Qayum, President of Anjuman Moin-ul-Islam, explained the purpose behind the peaceful demonstration. He said, “The main objective of this human chain is to highlight our demands. We have formed symbolic circles to show unity, whether it’s women, the elderly, or youth; anyone can join. In the future, we want to invite people of all religions, castes, creeds and regions to join and express their democratic rights.”
Reflecting on the evolution of local governance, Dr. Qayum noted that many structural changes have taken place since Ladakh became a Union Territory. “Our Hill Council has been functioning for 25 years. After the bifurcation from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, we’ve seen the announcement of five new districts. With UT status, change has come to every aspect of administration,” he said.
With the Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections expected to be notified within a month, the organisation has submitted a detailed memorandum to the Union Home Minister, the Home Secretary and the Hill Council Leh. “We have also approached the Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Leh, and we are planning to take our demands to Delhi again,” Dr. Qayum added.
He further clarified, “Our demand is for a genuine and inclusive delimitation. We are not saying it should be given to us specifically but to those who are deprived in the current setup. The present Council lacks inclusivity. Delimitation must be revisited to ensure representation is based on population and geographical distance”.
Dr. Qayum pointed out the stark imbalance in representation. He said, “In the Hill Council elections, there are around 86,000 voters and 26 elected Councillors. For example, in areas like Lower Leh and Phyang constituency, there are almost 30,000 voters, but we have only three Councillors from here. Lower Leh alone has around 12,000 voters and just one Councillor. This is not logical, especially when developmental funds are being distributed among such a large number of people.”
The organisation is also calling for an increase in the number of seats. Dr. Qayum said, “We demand that the number of Councillors be increased from 26 to 40, similar to the model in Bodoland in the northeast. There are currently 11 Executive Councillors in Bodoland, and we’ve demanded an increase in Executive Councillors from 5 to 9 in The Hill Council Leh, to ensure more balanced governance.”
Dr. Abdul Qayum, President of Anjuman Moin-ul-Islam, said, “The number of Executive Councillors should be increased from five to at least nine so that all deprived communities and regions can have a voice in the decision-making process.”
Among their long-standing demands is the creation of a Central Leh constituency. “We want a Central Leh constituency to be created, and we have already submitted the necessary documents outlining how it can be formed.”
He said Ladakh is at a critical juncture in its political and administrative evolution. “We are at a crossroads, and we want our long-pending issues to be resolved. Today, we had planned to submit a memorandum to the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, but since he is out of town, we were unable to do so. However, we have already submitted our demands to higher authorities and once the LG returns, we will meet him and request that he forward the memorandum to the central government,” he said.
Dr. Qayum expressed confidence in the LG’s understanding of the region’s complexities. “The LG has served as the Deputy Chief Minister of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state and was also the Speaker of the J&K Legislative Assembly. He has worked closely with Ladakhi ministers and is familiar with both Leh and Kargil.”
Among the most pressing demands is the postponement of the upcoming Hill Council elections to allow time for proper delimitation. “We urge the government not to issue the election notification at this stage. The same government granted UT status to Ladakh after 70 years. Surely, forming a delimitation committee and rationalising representation is not a difficult task for them,” said Dr. Qayum.
He stressed that any future delimitation exercise must be consultative. “All stakeholders must be included in the process so that we can work toward building a modern Ladakh with inclusive development,” he said.
As part of their continuing campaign, the organisation plans to carry forward its peaceful demonstrations. “In the coming days, we will continue to organise human chains peacefully and without slogans as a show of unity and determination,” Dr. Qayum concluded.
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