Two major groups in Ladakh want the elections for eight hill councils put off.
The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance made a video appeal on Wednesday.
The polls are scheduled for December 4.
The councils are called the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils, or LAHDC.
The Ladakh administration announced these elections on Tuesday.
The groups asked President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Rahul Gandhi to step in.
Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament.
Key points
- Leh and Kargil groups want the December 4 council polls postponed.
- They say harsh winters and mass migration will hurt voter turnout.
- Police asked Sonam Wangchuk to stay at his residence under prohibitory orders.
- Violent protests in Leh in September 2025 left four people dead.
So why are the groups asking for a delay?
December and January are the coldest and snowiest months in Ladakh.
Temperatures drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius in many places.
Nearly half the population leaves Ladakh during this time. They travel for education, holidays and pilgrimage.
MP Haneefa Jan wrote to Amit Shah seeking a postponement.
He said students will leave by late November and early December, and senior citizens have already started moving to warmer regions.
Snowfall and road closures could also make it hard for voters to reach polling stations.
The groups want the polls held after winter, and Jan suggested after May.
What led to this demand?
Protests in Leh on September 24, 2025 turned violent. Protesters clashed with police, and four people were killed.
More than 80 people were injured.
A judicial inquiry commission is looking into those incidents. Its report has still not come out, even after a year.
Several rounds of talks with the Union home ministry have not ended the deadlock.
The groups also want the new seat map, formed after a delimitation exercise, to be reviewed.
When the polls were announced, Kargil town observed a complete shutdown. Bodies in Leh called for an election boycott.
What happens next for the elections?
The appeals have been sent to the leaders named in the letter. The sources do not show how they will respond.
Wangchuk said the groups may start peaceful but intense agitations if their concerns are not addressed.
He said this was to show the pain of Ladakh.
Explainer
What happened before
- On September 24, 2025, protests in Leh turned violent. Four people were killed and more than 80 were injured.
- On Tuesday, the Ladakh administration announced polls for eight hill councils. Kargil town then observed a complete shutdown.
Why it matters
Heavy snow and road closures could stop many voters from reaching polling stations, so the timing affects who can take part.
What to watch next
- The two groups want the polls held after winter and the new seat map reviewed.
- Wangchuk said they may start peaceful but intense agitations if their appeals are ignored.
