The Congress on Saturday won the Temisgam seat in a byelection held for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), the only elected platform in the Union Territory of Ladakh that is without any Assembly.
Congress candidate Tashi Tundup defeated Dorjay Namgayal, a BJP candidate, by 273 votes in the bypolls in the Temisgam constituency. Timisgam seat, earlier also won by the Congress, fell vacant after the death of Councillor Sonam Dorjey.
Officials said that Mr. Tundup bagged 861 votes against the rival BJP candidate who secured 588 votes. The LAHDC, constituted in 1995, has a total of 30 seats, including four nominated seats.
At present, the BJP is ruling the council. The BJP won 15 seats in the 2020 elections while the Congress won nine and two were independents.
Meanwhile, reacting to the development, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet: “Here is some breaking news for Modi, Shah and Azad. The Congress party has defeated the BJP by a convincing margin in the Temisgam bye-election to the Ladakh Hill Council. Congratulations to the Ladakh District Congress Committee!”
