Independent leads in Ladakh LS seat

Leh: Independent candidate Mohmad Haneefa is leading in the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency over his Congress and BJP rivals, according to the initial figures given by the Election Commission.

The counting of votes for the constituency, which registered a voter turnout of 71.82 per cent, is underway at designated centres in Leh and Kargil district.

Against Haneefa's 8,906 votes polled till around 10 am, Congress candidate Tsering Namgyal got 3,200 votes and BJP's Tashi Gyalson 2,724 votes, the official trends for the constituency said.

The BJP won the seat in the 2014 general elections and retained it in 2019. The Congress has won the seat the maximum number of times -- six.