No statehood, Ladakh to get unique elected body, says chief secretary

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said on Thursday (September 10, 2026) that neither statehood nor a Union Territory (UT) with a legislature is being offered to Ladakh; instead, it will be a sui generis model, a unique body under the Constitution that will have legislative, executive and financial powers.

Responding to a query by The Hindu whether the head of the elected body would be called the Chief Minister and whether the assurance was akin to restoration of statehood for Ladakh, Mr. Kundra said, “Ladakh was never a state. It was a part of J&K and later became a UT. The desire of the people is to have a legislative, executive and financial model which has been achieved here with the generation of power. it does not exist anywhere in the country, it will be created for Ladakh, where a legislature will be created, it will certainly not be statehood or a UT with legislation, but it is some other body that will have these powers, its nomenclature is yet to be finalized, that is why it is being discussed.

The Chief Secretary informed that in a meeting with the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on 9 September, the proposed structure of the UT-level body under Article 371 of the Constitution was discussed and the members expressed their consent for “direct election through constituencies” for the UT-level body. He said the members were given a list of eight to nine questions to clarify doubts and examine the structural relationship and division of powers between the existing High Councils and the proposed UT-level body as per their demands. The next round of negotiations is expected in October.

Stressing that constitutional guarantees require a detailed and established legal and parliamentary process, the Chief Secretary said any constitutional change requires broad political consensus, consultation and parliamentary consideration. He emphasized that the process would continue through dialogue and consensus and that no framework would be imposed on Ladakh without proper consultation with the stakeholders.

LAB, KDA disappointed

The LAB and KDA members said they were “disappointed” with the meeting and said the UT administration under LG Vinai Saxena and the ministry were not on the same page.

LAB’s Cherring Dorjay Lakruk said that if government officials wanted them to answer questions, they should have shared the agenda beforehand. “They are asking us what will be the name of the elected body, what will be the name of the CM? They should have sent the agenda in advance. We cannot answer these questions immediately, these are legal questions,” said Lakruk.

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, part of the LAB delegation that met with ministry officials on September 9, said there had been “no concrete progress” on their key demands and warned that protests would resume if assurances were not given within a week.

At a news conference in Delhi, Mr Wangchuk said that according to a decision reached with ministry officials on May 22, the home ministry was to present a draft proposal and move forward with the “non-negotiable” demands they made at the next meeting.

Ladakh Member of Parliament Mohmad Haneefa said they have been “fighting for constitutional guarantees for Ladakh for the last six years”, adding that “the Home Minister and the IB are sincerely looking for a solution”.

“MHA is making a lot of efforts to finalize a political solution, but the UT administration seems to be trying to sabotage these efforts. They are taking key decisions on land etc. unilaterally. MHA and UT administration should be on the same page. Until the proposal is submitted by MHA, LG should not take any major administrative or bureaucratic decisions.”

Mr. Wangchuk added that the meeting was more than a “waste of time and money” and that the government should not force them to protest.

“We will spend our own money and come to Delhi, then come back without any concrete result. Money and time are (sic) wasted. In 2020, when they needed us before the upper assembly elections there, the government sent a chartered plane for our leaders and asked them (for) help not to boycott the elections and help them win. They made every effort to drive wedges between communities and regions and we we don’t want to tire, he said.

After Ladakh lost its special status under Article 370 of the Constitution as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, it became a Union Territory without a legislature in 2019. Since then, LAB and KDA, representing the Leh and Kargil regions, have been demanding statehood and tribal status for Ladakh and seeking a greater role for local people in decision-making.

“MHA has never said that it will not give us statehood. The proposed elected body is the first step before we have our revenue generation avenues and this tailor-made structure is only for Ladakh,” Mr. Wangchuk said.

Claim for compensation

The members also demanded compensation for the relatives of the victims of the September 24, 2025 violence in Leh, where four people were killed in police firing, and the withdrawal of criminal cases against 80 people, following the pattern of the Gen Z protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar in July this year. The protest was called to demand constitutional guarantees for Ladakh.

Published – 10 Sep 2026 23:19 IST