Jammu/Srinagar, Nov. 12 -- The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Wednesday made a video appeal to the President, Prime Minister, Union home minister, and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to defer December 4 elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC). Led by climate activist and LAB leader Sonam Wangchuk, the two groups made an appeal citing harsh winters as the reason to defer the polls. The Ladakh administration on Tuesday announced elections for the eight hill councils, scheduled for December 4. The announcement triggered a political backlash across the region, including a complete shutdown in Kargil town and an election boycott by bodies in Leh. Addressing the media in Leh, Wangchuk said, "While the judicial inquiry commission report of the September 24, 2025 incidents in Leh is moving at a snail's pace-with findings nowhere in sight even after a year-and talks on the restoration of democracy have broken down, the UT administration is moving at rocket speed to conduct some kind of 'Council Elections' here, apparently to have people of their choice installed to negotiate on democracy and safeguards." "December and January are the coldest and snowiest months in Ladakh, one of the coldest regions in the world, with temperatures dipping below -30degC in many places and nearly half the population migrating out of Ladakh for education, vacation, and pilgrimage," he said. "Moreover, weather reports show heavy snow during that week. People in every region of Ladakh are protesting against the structure of the councils and the way these elections are being conducted," he said. Wangchuk said the leadership of Leh and Kargil, including Member of Parliament Hanifa Jan, has come together to appeal to the President, the Prime Minister, the Home Minister, and LOP Rahul Gandhi, besides fellow citizens of India, to intervene before they are forced to start peaceful but intense agitations to demonstrate the pain of Ladakh. Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan has written a letter to the Union home minister Amit Shah seeking the postponement of the polls. "Today, I submitted a detailed representation to the home minister, seeking the postponement of the proposed LAHDC elections in Ladakh. The same concerns have also been conveyed to the Ladakh lieutenant governor," Jan wrote on X. He said that with a harsh winter approaching, senior citizens have already started migrating to warmer regions, while thousands of students will leave by late November and early December for education and coaching. "Snowfall and road closures will further restrict access to polling stations, affecting voter participation. I sincerely hope the home minister will consider these genuine concerns and take appropriate action in the larger interest of Ladakh and reschedule the elections, preferably after May, when conditions are more conducive and maximum voter participation can be ensured." Several rounds of talks with the Union home ministry have failed to break the deadlock since September 24, 2025, when protests in Leh turned violent and protesters clashed with police. Four people were killed and more than 80 injured. The two groups want the council polls to be postponed until after winter and the new seat map-formed after a delimitation exercise-to be reviewed. Ladakh chief secretary Ashish Kundra on Tuesday said that the council polls were a step towards deepening democracy, and would be a "turning point in the larger journey of democracy". He added that an apex-level body, a representative body for the UT, was "also taking shape"....