Ladakh to get five new districts

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Monday approved a notification to create five new districts in the Union Territory.

The region currently has only two districts: Leh and Kargil. The five new districts will be Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass.

Saxena said on social media that the decision was taken to fulfil “the aspirations and long pending demand of the people of Ladakh”.

The decision, which had been cleared by the Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2024, aligned with the vision of a “developed and prosperous Ladakh”, the lieutenant governor added.

Statehood demand

The announcement comes amid long-standing demands from residents for statehood for Ladakh.

In August 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into two Union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The lack of a legislature in Ladakh has stoked fears among the Ladakhi people over their land, natural resources and livelihoods. They also fear the region’s cultural identity and fragile ecosystem are in danger.

By 2022, the residents had four demands: statehood to Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts and the rollout of a recruitment process and a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh.

All of Ladakh currently has one Lok Sabha seat.

The Sixth Schedule guarantees protection to land and a degree of autonomy for the country’s tribal areas.

The demands were pushed forward by groups such as the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which have been coordinating protests since 2020.

Tensions erupted in 2024 and 2025 with renewed protests, including a hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk supporting the demands and the resumption of talks with the Union government.

In September, protests in Leh turned violent when clashes broke out between protesters and security forces, leaving four people dead in police firing.

After the violence, Wangchuk called off his hunger strike and appealed for peace.

However, the Union government accused him of involvement in instigating unrest. He was detained under the National Security Act and held in jail for more than five months.

The government had revoked his detention in March, saying the decision was aimed at “fostering an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in Ladakh so as to facilitate constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders”.

After his release, the activist called for a “win-win” dialogue with the Union government.

During the time of this detention, formal talks between the Union govenrment and Ladakh’s leadership had largely paused. Saxena announced on Sunday that talks would resume on May 22, The Hindu reported.

Also read: What Ladakh makes of Sonam Wangchuk’s release from detention