The LG would be the final authority in the proposed UT-level body in Ladakh, the Centre’s proposal says

Acting Lt. Governor of Ladakh Vinai Kumar Saxena. | Photo credit: PTI

The proposal proposed by the Center for a Unique Constitutional Arrangement in Ladakh says that the Lieutenant Governor (LG) would be the final authority for any ordinance passed by an elected body at the Union Territory level.

In a 32-page document titled “Constitutional and Statutory Framework”, responding to a question on how the UT-level body’s decisions would come into force, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said, “As a legislative practice enshrined in the Constitution of India, any ordinance (law) passed by a UT-level body would go to the Governor and come into force after his assent.”

Two civil society groups, Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), are part of the High Level Committee (HPC) set up by the Center in 2023 to ensure constitutional safeguards for the region, which became a UT after the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir (J09).

In a meeting on May 22 and September 9 with the LAB and KDA in Delhi, the MHA proposed an elected body for the UT in Ladakh by introducing a new constitutional provision under Article 371 in the proposed Chapter ‘K’ of the Constitution. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for this week.

On the process of delimitation

The proposal, accessed by The Hindu, asks whether the delimitation of constituencies for the proposed UT-level elected body will be done by the election authority or the delimitation commission. It asks whether the delimitation would be based on population alone or on population and area in various ratios such as 50-50, 60-40 or 40-60 or based on population, panchayat boundaries, seasonal unavailability, administrative boundaries and public convenience. There are questions about electoral rolls whether they will be local body electoral rolls or Lok Sabha electoral rolls.

In terms of women’s representation, the proposal explores several options, including reserving one-third or up to 50% of the seats in the proposed body for women. It also invites suggestions as to whether this reservation should apply only to elected positions or should it be extended to nominated positions as well.

The aim of the proposal is to ensure meaningful participation of women in the administrative structure of Ladakh while ensuring compliance with wider constitutional provisions on political representation.

A few institutional questions

The proposal proposes that the new constitutional amendment would create a special governance framework for Ladakh through a new article in the constitution that would provide constitutional status to an elected Ladakh body in the entire UT, the existing Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) in each district, regulatory (legislative), executive, planning and financial powers in areas such as major matters relating to land, culture and mineral natural resources, budgets and mineral resources.

The draft seeks the views of the LAB and KDA on several institutional issues – whether LAHCs should be given constitutional status or continue under the existing LAHC Act 1997; whether members of the UT level body should be elected directly by the public or indirectly through LAHDC and panchayati raj institutions; whether nominated members should include experts with specialist knowledge; the role of Member of Parliament (MP) and LAHDC Senior Councilors in the body.

“The main task at this stage is to settle the constitutional and institutional choices that determine the coherence of the entire framework. The next proposed step is therefore to basically approve the answers to the variants before proceeding to finalize the individual provisions of the legislative instruments,” the proposal states.

She added that once the decisions are settled, the constitutional amendment and the proposed regulation under Article 240 of the Constitution can be revised into a comprehensive package that will be supported by a clear subject allocation framework, financial and administrative assessment, appropriate consultations and a detailed implementation plan.

Published – 20 October 2026 19:59 IST