Govt announces panchayat poll process in Ladakh to fill ‘democratic vacuum'

Panchayat poll process in Ladakh announcedSRINAGAR: A day after a meeting between Ladakh representatives and officials of ministry of home affairs, the Ladakh administration Thursday announced that the govt was taking steps to address the democratic vacuum in the Union Territory and, to begin with, it would recommend to the Election Commission to initiate the panchayat election process.Speaking to media persons in Leh, chief secretary Ashish Kundra said the commission would undertake necessary revision of electoral rolls before issuing a formal notification.Currently, only the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Kargil has an elected body. Elections to its counterpart in Leh could not be held following the Sept 24 violence last year, when four people were killed after the police all