BJP fields Tashi Gyalson from Ladakh, drops sitting MP Namgyal

In 2019, Namgyal hit the headlines for his viral speech in Lok Sabha to defend the Modi government’s decision to repeal Article 370 and make Ladakh a separate Union Territory. “Today is that day in Indian history when the mistakes made by the Congress under the leadership of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru are being rectified. In 1948, the president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association had requested Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to either bring Ladakh directly under central administration or make it a part of East Punjab, but under no condition keep Ladakh with Kashmir. But the government at the time didn’t even listen to us. And because we are under Kashmir, till date Ladakh has not been developed,” he said.

Later Namgyal was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for his speech on the motion to scrap the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir and a Bill to bifurcate the state into two Union Territories.

According to local sources Gyalson, who is also a lawyer by profession, is in a better position to maintain the BJP’s hold over the seat, which also includes Muslim-majority Kargil, PTI reported.

The polling is scheduled for May 20 in the constituency.