Ladakh Hill Council Elections on December 4; Entire Poll Process to Conclude by December 8 Amid Kargil, Sankoo Shutdown

November 10, 2026

Srinagar: The Ladakh administration has decided to hold elections for all eight Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) on December 4. Meanwhile, Kargil and Sankoo went on a shutdown on November 10 to protest against elections being held in the harsh winter months.

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena issued a notification asking all constituencies in the Union Territory to vote for members of the new councils. This was followed by an announcement from the State Election Commission (SEC) Ladakh.

Nominations close on November 17, with scrutiny on November 18. Nomination withdrawal dates will end on November 20.

Voting will take place on December 4 from 8 am to 5 pm and the election will be completed by December 8, 2026.

All 8 Hill Councils Will Hold Elections

All eight districts in Ladakh will hold elections to fill the newly restructured councils. The administration has decided upon the final boundaries for the 100 elected constituencies within the eight councils, increasing the total number of councillors to 100.

The delimitation was done under the LAHDC (Amendment) Regulation 2026. The administration has also decided to reserve 33 per cent of spots for women.

The notice comes after Sankoo became Ladakh’s eighth district on October 16, 2026 and the reorganisation of the Hill Councils.

Kargil And Sankoo Go On Shutdown Due To Winter Elections

The news comes after Kargil and Sankoo went on a full shutdown on November 10 due to a call from the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). A coalition of political parties, religious groups, traders, transporters and civil society groups.

The shutdown was to protest against Hill Council elections taking place in December. There was no business as shops were closed and traffic was light. Extra police were deployed to a number of areas.

A candlelight march was also announced by the KDA in the evening under the Save Democracy banner. Essential services such as medical services, water supplies and school buses were exempt from the shutdown.

“December elections are not suitable as around 20-30 per cent of our population move elsewhere in the winter. Students, senior citizens and businessmen all move away. December is completely unreasonable. I don’t think the administration should go ahead with this decision,” said KDA co-chairman Sajjad Kargili.

“We don’t think it’s right to have elections in December. We have issues with the delimitation. It wasn’t properly consulted and there is some resentment about how the seats have been allocated.”

MP Haneefa Jan Calls For Delay

Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan has also written to the Lieutenant Governor and SEC asking for the Hill Council elections to be delayed due to harsh winter weather conditions.

“Weeks are very cold with temperatures much lower than zero. The snow and bad weather means people may struggle to get to polling stations. People also migrate so having elections in December means we won’t be able to vote as many people won’t be here.”

Jan has called for a full revision of the electoral rolls to make sure everyone who should be able to vote can do so.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) have also called for the elections to be delayed until April-May 2027. They have also asked to review the delimitation and consult elected members, political parties and others.