Srinagar, Nov. 10 -- Three Ladakh bodies, citing delimitation, unfulfilled promises regarding the rectification of the liquor policy, winter migration and other local issues, have decided to boycott the panchayat and municipal elections scheduled for this month, while Kargil groups have called for a shutdown and a candle march on Tuesday. Three prominent bodies - the Ladakh Nambardar Association, Ladakh Gompa Association and Ladakh Buddhist Association - said people in Ladakh will not participate in the panchayat and local body polls. The Ladakh administration had already announced the dates for the panchayat polls starting this month, with the polling to be held on November 21 and the entire process to be completed by November 30. Chering Dorjay Lakrook, president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, said they have decided to boycott the panchayat polls. "Basically, it is the decision of the Ladakh Numberdar Association, endorsed by the Ladakh Buddhist Association and the Gompa Association. The reason for the boycott is the way delimitation has been done. Everybody is unhappy with the way it was done. They are going to do the same in the Hill Council polls. Besides, the promises on the liquor policy, made after women groups held protests, have not been fulfilled, along with other issues. So, we have decided to boycott these polls," Lakrook said. Lakrook, who is also the president of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), said they do not have faith in the administration. "We feel they (the administration) are not sincere," he alleged. Last week, Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan had written a letter to the Ladakh lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, seeking deferment of the Kargil Hill Development Council polls. Jan, in the letter, had said they had come to know that the administration was planning to hold panchayat polls and then council polls, and had requested the administration to defer those polls. Jan had cited various reasons for the deferment of the polls, like harsh winter conditions, revision of electoral rolls and winter migration. Due to the harsh winter, a large number of people migrate to Srinagar, Jammu and Delhi during winter, especially from Kargil and Leh, as temperatures drop to -20 to -25degC. "The proposed Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections in Ladakh must not come at the cost of people's democratic rights. Harsh winter conditions force a significant section of Ladakh's population, particularly senior citizens, to migrate to warmer regions, while many students leave for better coaching and higher education. Difficult terrain, road closures and disrupted connectivity further complicate electoral participation. I have urged the LG to reconsider and defer the proposed election schedule, allow sufficient time for comprehensive revision of electoral rolls and consult all stakeholders before finalising the schedule," Jan wrote on X. He said that elections must not merely meet deadlines; they must ensure that every eligible citizen gets a fair opportunity to exercise their democratic right. "Ladakh's unique geographical and climatic realities must be respected." Several groups in Kargil have also called for the deferment of the LAHDC polls, as they too believe winter is not the right time to hold these polls and have called for a shutdown on Tuesday. "Complete shutdown in Kargil Division following the candle march on Tuesday. The main demand is deferment of the LAHDC elections," wrote Sajad Kargili, a prominent member of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), on X. The deadlock between the Centre and the KDA and LAB continues after several rounds of talks remained inconclusive. The Ladakh groups are demanding statehood and the Sixth Schedule. However, the central government has not yet agreed to the demands and has decided to create new districts and hold panchayat, municipal council and committee polls. Earlier, Ladakh groups had blamed the Centre for trying to create divisions among the Ladakh groups fighting for statehood and the Sixth Schedule....