Ladakh's politics are conducted inside the democratic framework of the union territory that is managed by India. Along with the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Leh and Kargil are important centres of authority. Two significant political parties are the Indian National Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Major influences also come from Ladakh religious organisations such as the Ladakh Buddhist Association, the Imam Khomeini Memorial Trust, and Anjuman-e-Jamiat-ul-Ulama Asna Asharia.

Ladakh, even after 1947, was a part of India under the state of Jammu and Kashmir after. The formation of the Ladakh Union Territory Front aimed to advocate that Ladakh be given its own Union territory. 2019 saw the creation of Ladakh as a distinct union territory, which was welcomed in Leh.

Article 240 (2) of the Indian Constitution and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 both establish Ladakh as a union territory managed without a legislative assembly. The President, through a Lieutenant Governor to be nominated by him in accordance with Article 239, will oversee the Union territory of Ladakh. Article 240 grants the President the authority to enact regulations pertaining to the Union territory of Ladakh that promote peace, progress, and good governance. The Central Government will select advisor(s) to assist the Lieutenant Governor.

Ladakh General Election 2024

To choose the lone representative for the 18th Lok Sabha, there will be a general election in Ladakh on May 20, 2024.The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 separated Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir and granted it the status of a separate Union territory. These elections are the first to be held in the region since then.

2019 Election History

Ladakh is one of the six parliamentary Lok Sabha constituencies located in Jammu & Kashmir. According to data from the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, there are roughly 179232 voters in the Ladakh parliamentary seat. At the Ladakh parliamentary seat, 71.05% of voters cast ballots in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Six state seats were up for grabs in Jammu & Kashmir during the 2019 Indian general election. Five phases of the voting procedure were conducted on April 11, 18, 23, 29, April 4, and May 6, 2019. Since Ladakh separated as a union territory that same year and the area's special status was abolished, this was the last general election.

Major Political Parties Competing in the 2024 Elections

Ladakh was previously a constituency under Jammu and Kashmir, but this is the first time it would be polled separately for a single seat.

Major political parties are:

• Jammu Kashmir National Conference: In the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, which are administered by India, there is a political party known as the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC).
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a volunteer paramilitary organisation with strong organisational and ideological ties to the BJP, which is associated with right-wing politics.
• Indian National Congress: Together with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress is one of the two main political parties in India. It is a "big tent" party, and most people agree that its platform is in line with Indian politics' centre.
• JKPDP: In Jammu and Kashmir, India, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the official political party.
• JKPC: Established in 1978 by Abdul Ghani Lone and Molvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari, the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference is a political organisation in Jammu and Kashmir, India.