Ladakh to get elected UT body, not statehood, as leaders slam Delhi meeting
The Home Ministry discussed the structure of a proposed UT-level elected body for Ladakh under Article 371, but local leaders dismissed the meeting, saying Delhi and the UT administration are not on the same page.
The Union Home Ministry has discussed the proposed structure of a unique elected body for Ladakh at the Union Territory level, a mechanism that would be established under Article 371 of the Constitution. The discussion took place at a meeting with representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two groupings that have led the demand for greater political empowerment in the region.
According to the Chief Secretary, Ladakh will not be granted full statehood. Instead, it will receive a distinct elected body at the UT level, a formulation that stops short of the statehood demand that has driven protests and political mobilisation in the region since it was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019.
The meeting was convened to deliberate on how that body would be structured, including its composition and powers. However, the engagement appears to have done little to bridge the gap between the Centre and local stakeholders.
Leaders of the LAB and the KDA described the meeting as a "waste of time and money." They said the Home Ministry and the Ladakh administration are not on the same page, suggesting that the two sides have divergent positions on the shape and scope of the proposed body.
The outcome leaves the central question unresolved: while the government has ruled out statehood, the exact design of the Article 371 body remains under discussion, and local representatives remain unconvinced by the process so far.