Srinagar, Oct 29: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the union Territory of Ladakh on Thursday announced the schedule for elections to the Municipal Committees of Leh and Kargil, with polling on November 21.

According to a notification issued by CEO Rahul Sharma, the elections will cover 21 wards in the Leh Municipal Committee and 17 wards in Kargil.
Under the schedule, the last date for filing nominations is November 5, and scrutiny will take place on November 6. Candidates can withdraw by November 9, the same day symbols will be allotted and the list of contesting candidates published. Polling, if required, will be held on Saturday, November 21, from 8 am to 5 pm in all wards of both committees. The notification fixes November 30 as the date for completion of the elections.
The Model Code of Conduct came into force with immediate effect from the date of the notification and will remain in place until the election process is complete.
The notification said the terms of the elected bodies of both Municipal Committees have expired, making general elections necessary to constitute new ones. It was issued under Section 282 of the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Act, 2000, which vests the Chief Electoral Officer with superintendence, direction and control over municipal elections, read with the Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Committee (Election) Rules, 2003.
The UT Administration had on September 9 directed the CEO to take the necessary steps to prepare the electoral rolls and conduct the elections. The rolls for both committees were revised with October 1 as the qualifying date and finally published on October 22, the notification said.
The notification has been circulated to the Housing & Urban Development Department, the Deputy Commissioners of Leh and Kargil, who are the District Election Officers, and the returning officers concerned. The Information and Public Relations Department has been asked to give it wide publicity.