Ladakh dissolves Kargil hill council, announces panchayat polls for 21 November
The Ladakh administration dissolved the Kargil hill council on 21 October, notified 100 seats for eight councils and announced panchayat elections; Ladakh's leaders criticised the changes.
The Ladakh administration dissolved the Kargil hill council on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, and announced panchayat elections for 21 November, The Indian Express reported, citing an order and an official release from the territory’s Department of Information and Public Relations.
What was announced
According to the order quoted by The Indian Express, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, “stands dissolved and de-constituted with immediate effect”, and its Chief Executive Councillor, Executive Councillors and members cease to hold office. Its powers and functions pass to the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, Kargil, until new, separate councils are fully constituted. The paper reported that the council’s five-year term would otherwise have run to October 2028, while the Leh council completed its term in October 2025.
The Indian Express reported that the decision follows the creation of six new districts: Sham, Nubra and Changthang from Leh district, and Drass, Zanskar and Sankoo from Kargil district. Ladakh will now have eight hill councils.
Greater Kashmir reported that Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena notified 100 constituencies for the eight councils under the LAHDC (Amendment) Regulation, 2026, nearly doubling the existing 52 seats. It listed Leh with 22, Kargil 21, Sankoo 13, Changthang 10, Drass 7, and nine each for Nubra, Sham and Zanskar. The notification comes into force on publication in the official gazette.
The State Election Commission of Ladakh announced panchayat polling for 21 November, with nominations closing on 2 November, and the model code of conduct came into force immediately, according to the release quoted by The Indian Express.
Reaction
Mr Saxena wrote on X: “A historic milestone for grassroots democracy in Ladakh!”, according to Greater Kashmir. He said the larger number of seats would enhance local representation.
The New Indian Express quoted Leh Apex Body co-chairman Chering Dorjey as saying the recent amendments to the LAHDC Act “have further strengthened LG administration and disempowered the councils”. Mr Kargili, of the Kargil Democratic Alliance, said the changes raised concerns about whether a settlement would leave Ladakh’s representative institutions subject to executive discretion.
Context
The announcements came as talks between the Union Home Ministry and the two bodies, covered in our earlier report, remain unresolved. The New Indian Express reported on 22 October that the two bodies had not received an invitation for the sub-committee meeting scheduled for that day in New Delhi. The Home Ministry’s response was not available in the reports reviewed.
What happens next
Nominations for the panchayat elections close on 2 November and polling is on 21 November, per the release. No date has been reported for elections to the new hill councils.
Perspectives
Listed in no particular order and given equal space. Inclusion is not endorsement.
The administration says
- That the dissolution follows the creation of new districts, and that the Deputy Commissioner will run Kargil’s affairs to avoid an administrative vacuum until new councils are constituted, according to the order quoted by The Indian Express.
- That the seat allocation is fair. Lieutenant Governor Saxena said on X: “This is a rational and fair apportionment that uses panchayat halqas and municipal wards as foundational units,” as quoted by Greater Kashmir.
Ladakh's civil-society leaders say
- That the recent amendments to the LAHDC Act strengthen the Lieutenant Governor’s role. Leh Apex Body co-chairman Chering Dorjey told The New Indian Express that councils would need the Lieutenant Governor’s approval to make any law.
- That the changes raise concerns about autonomy. Kargil Democratic Alliance leader Sajjad Kargili told the paper they raised the question of whether any settlement would guarantee meaningful autonomy for Ladakh.
Sources
- Ladakh dissolves Kargil hill council, panchayat polls now on November 21 — The Indian Express
- LG Saxena notifies 100 constituencies for eight hill development councils in Ladakh — Greater Kashmir
- Centre-Ladakh talks in limbo as no invite from MHA to Ladakh leaders for October 22 meeting — The New Indian Express
