The Centre’s decision to carve out five new districts in the Union Territory of Ladakh — taking its total number of districts from two to seven — has triggered new political faultlines, with leaders from Kargil alleging that the move is aimed at weakening the unity forged between Kargil and Leh on the demands for statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh. Even as the administration pitched the move as a long-pending reform to improve governance in a geographically vast and sparsely populated region, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) termed it a “calculated attempt” to fragment Ladakh along communal and regional lines. Announcing the decision on Monday, Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena described it as a “historic milestone”, saying the creation of Sham, Nubra and Changthang districts out of Leh, and Zanskar and Drass out of Kargil, would “usher in a new era of inclusive development”.…