SRINAGAR: Uncertainty continues to surround the fate of a no-confidence motion moved against Chairman-cum-Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, Dr Mohammad Zaffar Akhoon, even as he remains in office and continues to oversee council affairs.
Official sources said the no-confidence motion, signed by 16 councillors, was forwarded by the Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, to the Union Territory administration in accordance with prescribed procedures. The administration is now required to convene a meeting of the Council to take up the motion.
Despite the challenge to his leadership, Dr Akhoon has continued to carry out developmental work and is understood to be confident of proving his majority whenever a floor test is held. At present, council functioning is being managed by the CEC and two Executive Councillors after two Congress Executive Councillors resigned and joined the no-confidence move.
The political crisis erupted on May 14 when 16 members of the 30-member Council — comprising nine Congress councillors, five from the National Conference (NC) and two Independents — submitted the motion. The NC currently has 12 councillors, Congress 10, BJP six, and there are two Independents.
The development stems from a pre-election power-sharing arrangement between the NC and Congress under which both parties were to hold the CEC’s post for two-and-a-half years each. Dr Akhoon, who assumed office after the 2023 Hill Council elections, completed his two-and-a-half-year tenure in April this year but declined to step down, citing the reorganisation of districts in Ladakh.
Meanwhile, Leh district has remained without an elected Hill Council since October 2025 after the expiry of the BJP-led Council’s term. Elections have not been held following the announcement of five new districts in Ladakh. In the interim, powers of the Council have been vested in the Deputy Commissioner.
Under the existing legal framework governing the Hill Councils, a district cannot remain without an elected body for more than one year. This means a new Council in Leh must be constituted by October 2026 unless legal provisions are amended.
The issue is linked to a broader restructuring exercise in Ladakh, where three new districts have been carved out of Leh and two from Kargil. The Centre is expected to take a collective decision for all seven districts. During a meeting convened by the Ministry of Home Affairs in New Delhi on May 22, representatives were assured that all districts would eventually have Hill Development Councils. The discussions also included proposals for a UT-level elected body with legislative, executive and financial powers.
Sources indicated that the Centre may ultimately have to pursue legislative changes through Parliament once a final agreement is reached with the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance on the future governance framework for Ladakh.
