Why BJP is up against wall of voter discontent in Ladakh
The Lok Sabha poll is taking place in the backdrop of growing anger against direct rule by New Delhi and a people’s movement for Sixth Schedule status.
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In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s regional manifesto for Ladakh had impressed 36-year-old Chozang Namgyal. Not only did it promise Union territory status for Ladakh, the party’s nominee Jamyang Tsering Namgyal assured that Ladakh would be included in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution that provides protections to tribal regions.
Jamyang Namgyal went on to win, boosted by the votes of residents like Chozang Namgyal.
Months down the line, the BJP kept its word by breaking up the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories. One of them was Ladakh, a Union territory without a legislature.
But it is the refusal of the BJP-led Centre to award Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh that rankles with voters like Chozang Namgyal and is shaping up the battle for the parliamentary constituency.
Five years later, Chozang Namgyal believes the party has let him down. “The BJP broke its promise,” said the father of two young children who lives in Saspol village, some 66 km from Leh main city.
The constituency votes on May 20, the first Lok Sabha elections after Ladakh was carved out as a separate Union territory in August 2019.
The contest is taking place in the backdrop of growing anger against direct rule by New Delhi and a months-long mobilisation...
