With the Congress winning several seats in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, the party said it is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a swipe at the media saying "the national media will blank it out, but trends coming in show Congress leading convincingly in the elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil with an almost complete wipeout of the BJP." "This is a direct impact of Rahul Gandhi continuing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Ladakh last month," Ramesh said in a post on X.

The National Conference and Congress have together won 17 seats so far in the LAHDC polls with the counting of votes still underway, officials said on Sunday.

Of the 26 seats for which elections were held on October 4, results of 20 seats have been declared so far, they said.

According to the officials, the National Conference (NC) has so far won nine seats while its ally Congress registered victory in eight. The BJP has won two seats, while an independent candidate has registered victory in one seat, they said.

The election, which saw a triangular contest among the NC, Congress and the BJP in most of the 26 seats, is the first key poll in Kargil after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and the creation of the Ladakh Union territory.

The NC and Congress had announced a pre-poll alliance but fielded 17 and 22 candidates, respectively. Both parties said the arrangement was restricted to areas where there was a tough contest with the BJP.

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