How did the 2019 reorganization separate Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir?

In 2019, the government of India reorganized the state of Jammu and Kashmir by passing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act. This legislative action followed a presidential order that rendered Article 370—which had previously granted the state special status and internal autonomy—inoperative.12

As a result of this reorganization, the former state was split into two separate union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. While the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir retained a legislature, Ladakh was placed under the direct authority of the central government without a local legislature. This separation addressed long-standing demands from many Ladakhis for autonomy, though the lack of a local legislative body has since led to significant local dissatisfaction and protests regarding political representation and the protection of cultural and environmental identity.213