Sankoo Officially Becomes Ladakh’s Eighth District Kumar

Sankoo officially became the eighth district of Ladakh on 16 October 2026. Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar (V K) Saxena announced the decision, which came a day after talks between Union Home Ministry officials and Ladakh leaders on constitutional safeguards ended without a result.

Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena Announced the Creation of Sankoo District

Saxena shared the news in a post on X and said it met a long-pending demand of local people. He described the move as part of the “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” vision of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He also credited community and political leaders for their constructive approach, including:

• Anjuman-e-Sahib Zaman, led by Chief Patron Syed Mohammad Razvi
• Kargil Hill Council Chief Executive Councillor Dr Jaffar Akhoon
• Ladakh MP Haneefa Jan
• Former Leh CEC Tashi Gyalston

The announcement came a day after the Prime Minister inaugurated five development projects in the region.

Key Details of the New Ladakh District

• Notification: S.O. 284 dated 16 October 2026, issued under Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Revenue Act, 1996
• Headquarters: Sankoo, in the Suru Valley region
• Tehsils included: Sankoo, GM Pore, TSG and Taisuru, along with their revenue villages
• Impact on Kargil: Its boundaries have been changed, as the tehsils and villages now under Sankoo are excluded

LG Saxena Had Announced Five New Districts for Ladakh

In April 2026, Saxena announced five new districts: Nubra, Sham, Changthang, Zanskar and Drass. This raised the total from two to seven. Before this, Ladakh had only Leh, which has a Buddhist majority, and Kargil, which has a Muslim majority. After the five districts were created, residents demanded district status for Sankoo, Shakar, Chiktan and Shargole as well.

Total Districts in Ladakh

Ladakh now has eight districts:

• Leh
• Kargil
• Sham
• Nubra
• Changthang
• Zanskar
• Drass
• Sankoo

The Union Territory covers 86,904 square kilometres and shares borders with China and Pakistan. As per the 2011 Census, its population is 2.74 lakh.