Betwa Sharma/HuffPost India Mohammed Shamim Ahmed

Election will go on While the Congress and regional parties such as the National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)—many of whose top leaders remain under house arrest—have officially boycotted the BDC election on Thursday, the BJP says these parties are backing independent candidates as their “proxies”, which is standard practice in Kashmir, where openly participating in an election bears the stigma of siding with the Indian state. The BJP, which has thousands of village chiefs in place following the panchayat election in 2018, is looking to sweep the BDC election in J&K. That this electoral exercise is not an expression of the will of Kashmiris, or that its village chiefs and candidates are in hiding because they fear being shot by militants, is not important for the BJP. The Hindu-nationalist party is focused on grassroots level expansion in the Muslim-majority valley. In Ladakh, however, the BDC election is a “tough fight”, say candidates. There is no stigma attached to contesting an election, but the BJP is not looked at kindly by its majority Shia Muslim population. While people in Kargil have an affinity towards Kashmir, they are not part of its separatist movement. The BJP has won the Parliament election from Ladakh, India’s largest constituency in terms of size. These victories are in large part because of Prime Minister Modi’s popularity ever since he took over the BJP ahead of the 2014 general election, and the support of the Buddhist majority in Leh, Ladakh’s capital, located around 234km from Kargil.

There are already difference between Buddhists and Muslims in Ladakh. We don’t want these differences to exploited for political gain. Mohammed Shamim Ahmed

After the abrogation of Article 370 on 5 August, the BJP is looking to expand its “grassroots” presence in Kargil. In the past few weeks, almost the entire PDP cadre in Kargil has “merged” with the BJP. Haji Anayat Ali, a former PDP leader who joined the BJP on 26 August, told HuffPost India, “There is no place left for regional parties like the PDP and NC in Ladakh. Both parties are finished in Ladakh and very likely in Jammu and Kashmir as well,” he said. “BJP is the future in Kargil.” Ahmed, who is contesting the BDC election, said, “No other party divides people on Hindu-Muslim lines to the extent the BJP does. There are already difference between Buddhists and Muslims in Ladakh. We don’t want these differences to exploited for political gain.” Why this soldier is standing for election While Ahmed says he is contesting as an “independent” candidate, local observers say he has the backing of the NC. The 38-year-old, who spent 16 years serving the Indian army as a soldier in Ladakh Scouts, said that he took voluntary retirement after he did not get promoted. Ahmed decided to contest the panchayat election in 2018 and won. He says that while he received more than 300 of the estimated 500 votes cast in his area, the BJP candidate received just 10-15 votes . “I had spent 16 years with the army and I did not see life going anywhere new,” he said. “I want to do something with my life while I am still young. I want to work for the development of my village, whether it is building schools or a naala or improving animal husbandry,” he said. As a village chief (sarpanch), Ahmed oversees seven villages. In the ten months since he was elected, Ahmed has received around Rs 12 lakh from the Modi government for development works, and he is expecting a third instalment soon. Ahmed, who lives in a joint family with a brother, also works as a contractor with the Public Works Department (PWD). These days, however, he is spending his days visiting the other village chiefs who will vote for or against him on 24 October. There are at least three other “independent” candidates in the fray. Ahmed, who is a father to four children, says his main priority is education. The seven villages which he oversees do not have a high school (Class X), Ahmed says. The closest high school from the furthest village under his jurisdiction is 5km away, which can be a strenuous trek in the mountainous terrain of Drass, especially once winter sets in. “I have written many letters to the director of education and sent a feasibility report as well, but nothing has happened so far,” he said. “The file seems to be stuck but I will keep pushing for it. Education is the most important thing, especially in our remote corner where we are cut off from the rest of the world.” If he wins the BDC election and assumes charge of the whole block, Ahmed says the distance from the closest higher secondary school (Class XII) to some villages that he will have to look after is 30 kilometers. “Children have to either travel 30 kilometers or go to Kargil for school,” he said, referring to Kargil town, which is around 60km away from Drass.

Leh over Kargil? In Kargil district, the BDC election is being fought in 15 blocks including two in Drass, which has a population of around 22,000 people, according to the 2011 Census. Many residents have asked successive governments to make Drass a separate district. Kargil, Ahmed said, was tired of playing second fiddle to Leh, the Buddhist-majority capital of Ladakh. That the Modi government has decided to make Leh the administrative headquarters of the new UT, Ahmed said, was just another instance of Buddhists being prioritised over the Shia Muslims. “The Buddhists of Leh are our brothers. There is no doubt about that, but they are always given preferential treatment,” he said. “The BJP wants to create divisions between Buddhists and Muslims in Ladakh, but we don’t want that. We only want fair treatment.” The previous two MPs from BJP—Thupstan Chhewang and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal—are Buddhists from Leh.

Betwa Sharma/HuffPost India People in Kargil have an affinity for Kashmir, which acts as a lifeline until the Zojila pass closes for six months of winter.