Gangtok:

Much waters have flown down Teesta and Rangeet rivers since Prem Singh Tamang rebelled against the then Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and subsequently formed his own party, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, in 2013.

Fifteen years after quitting the Sikkim Democratic Front in 2009, he decimated Mr Chamling’s party, scripting history by winning 31 of 32 assembly seats in the Himalayan state in 2024. Only twice before, in 1989 and 2009, had political parties, the Sikkim Sangram Parishad and the SDF, respectively, registered such landslide victories.

Fifty-six-year-old Tamang, regarded as an able organiser, administrator and fiery politician, rode on a slew of development and welfare measures, besides his own personal charisma, to massively increase his party’s seats and vote share.

After having walked out of prison, where he was lodged for one year after being convicted in a corruption case, in 2017, Mr Tamang had revamped his fledging party, which went on to unseat Mr Chamling from power only two years later, winning 17 seats in 2019.

Although SDF had won 15 seats, two party MLAs had won two seats each and had to quit one seat each, effectively putting the party’s strength at 13 in the assembly.

Mr Chamling suffered mass desertions of his MLAs, as 10 legislators joined the BJP, while the remaining two switched sides to the SKM, leaving him as the lone representative of his party in the assembly.

Mr Tamang, on the other hand, went on to further consolidate his power and expand his party base and support, focusing on welfare schemes targeted at women and weaker sections and implementing development work with generous funding from the Centre as he stitched an alliance with the BJP. The coalition, however, collapsed ahead of the 2024 assembly polls over the seat-sharing issue.

Born to Kalu Singh Tamang and Dhan Maya Tamang on February 5, 1968, he had graduated from a college in Darjeeling in neighbouring West Bengal and became a teacher in a government school in 1990.

However, he quit his job only three years later and in 1994, co-founded the SDF, with which he remained associated for nearly 20 years, of which he was a minister for 15 years, before floating his party in 2013. The SKM won 10 seats in the 2014 assembly elections.

After having fallen out with Mr Chamling, Mr Tamang had ploughed a lonely furrow in Sikkim politics, inviting the wrath of his former mentor as he was booked in a corruption case in which he was convicted to one year imprisonment following which he was disqualified from the state assembly as an MLA from Upper Burtuk seat.

After winning the 2019 polls, the bar on him to occupy a public post was removed by the central government, following which he took oath as the chief minister on May 27 that year and won a by-election five months later from Poklok-Kamrang constituency, ironically a seat vacated by Mr Chamling.

Five years down the line, the fortunes of the two leaders have changed drastically, with Mr Tamang winning from Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung constituencies by thumping margins, while Mr Chamling met his political waterloo by losing both seats, Namcheybung and Poklok-Kamrang.

The drubbings may mark the end of Mr Chamling’s four-decade-long public life during which he had served as a five-term chief minister to leave Mr Tamang as the new satrap of Sikkim.

The SKM boss, however, has also expressed his wish before the electorate to not remain in public life after serving two terms as the chief minister and to hand over the reins of the party to the next line of leadership. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gangtok:

The Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang has been leading in two seats he contested in the state Assembly polls this time. His wife, Krishna Kumari Rai is also leading against the Opposition candidate Bimal Rai in the Namchi-Singhithang Assembly segment.

Former Chief Minister and Opposition leader from Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) Pawan Kumar Chamling has been trailing against the ruling party Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) candidate Bhoj Raj Rai in the early counting of votes on Sunday.

Mr Chamling was looking for a record ninth-term win from the Poklok-Kamrang Assembly constituency.

Meanwhile, according to the latest trend, SKM is leading in 31 out of 32 Assembly seats in the state. The Opposition party SDF is leading only in one seat—Shyari.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, SKM won 17 seats, narrowly defeating SDF. However, this time the ruling party is set to sweep the state.

Voting in the 32-member Sikkim Assembly was held on April 19.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gangtok:

Altogether 147 candidates are in the fray for 32 assembly constituencies in Sikkim as five nominations have been withdrawn, an official said on Saturday.

The assembly elections in the Himalayan state will be held on April 19.

Chief Minister PS Tamang and five-term former CM Pawan Kumar Chamling are contesting the elections.

One independent candidate withdrew his name from the Sangha seat in Gangtok district. Altogether 44 candidates are fighting in nine assembly constituencies in the district.

Soreng district with four assembly segments, including the Soreng-Chakung seat in which Tamang is a candidate, has 16 nominees as no candidate withdrew nominations.

In Pakyong district, two candidates withdrew nominations from Chujachen and Namcheybung assembly seats, and now 24 are in the fray in five assembly seats with Tamang and Chamling being prominent nominees from Rhenock and Namcheybung constituencies.

An independent candidate withdrew nomination from the Yangang assembly seat in Namchi, leaving 29 candidates, including Chamling who is contesting from Poklok Kamrang. There are seven assembly constituencies in the district.

In Gyalshing district, one candidate withdrew nomination from the Yuksam Tashiding assembly segment and now 25 candidates are in the fray in four constituencies.

There was no withdrawal in Mangan district which has nine candidates contesting three assembly constituencies.

Fourteen candidates are in the fray in the lone Lok Sabha seat at the end of the withdrawal candidature, according to the Office of Chief Electoral Officer.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Gangtok:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday announced the list of 14 candidates who will be contesting for the 32 seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

In addition to the Assembly candidates, the BJP also revealed its choice for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Sikkim. The party has fielded Dinesh Chandra Nepal, a former bureaucrat in the Sikkim Government, as the party’s candidate for this seat.

Among the 14 candidates for the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP has retained two sitting legislators.

Sikkim BJP President DR Thapa, the sitting legislator from the Upper Burtuk constituency, defected from the Sikkim Democratic Front party and has secured the ticket from his home constituency.

Similarly, MLA Narendra Kumar Subba, who also joined the BJP in 2019 following Mr Thapa, has retained his Maneybong Dentam constituency.

The candidate declaration comes in the wake of the alliance call-off between the BJP and the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party on March 23. This decision was made by Sikkim BJP President DR Thapa following a meeting with party leadership in New Delhi. On Sunday, four sitting legislators resigned from the BJP party.

Sonam Tshering Venchungpa, elected from the Martam Rumtek constituency, along with three defectors from the Sikkim Democratic Front party – Raj Kumari Thapa (Yangang-Rangang), Tashi Thendup Bhutia (Barfung), and Pintso Namgyal Lepcha (Dzongu) – also resigned from the BJP party.

Among the other prominent candidates declared, former legislator Tseten Tashi Bhutia has been awarded the coveted Sangha seat, a non-territorial constituency for religious propagation in the state.

Mr Bhutia has been one of the biggest propagators of the protection of old laws of Sikkim under Article 371F of the Indian Constitution. Tseten Tashi has also been a great uniter of the Bhutia Lepcha communities of the state, serving as the convener of the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC).

Other BJP candidates include Kinjong Sherap Bhutia from the Yuksam Tashiding constituency, Sanchaman Limboo from Yangthang, Sancho Lepcha from Rinchenpong, Phurba Dorjee Sherpa from Daramdin, Purna Singh Subba from Soreng Chakung, Pahalman Kami from Zoom Salghari, Tashi Dadul Bhutia from Barfung, Arjun Rai from Poklok Kamrang, Sangey Gyatso Bhutia from Gnathang Machong, Udai Gurung from Arithang, and Ugen Nedup Bhutia from the Kabi Lungchok constituency.

The Lok Sabha election in Sikkim is scheduled to take place in a single phase on April 19, 2024. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Prem Das Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front secured victory. Indra Hang Subba of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won the lone Lok Sabha seat in Sikkim in 2019.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The counting of votes polled in the Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim has been revised to June 2, the Election Commission said today. Earlier, counting of votes in these two states was to be held on June 4, when votes cast for the general election and for state polls in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh will be counted.

The counting date for these two states was revised because the term of their legislative Assemblies ends on June 2. The counting of votes on June 4 will, therefore, lead to a situation in which Arunachal and Sikkim won’t have an elected Assembly for a couple of days. To avoid this, the poll body has said the counting of votes will be held on June 2, so that the results of the election are clear by the time the current Assembly completes its term.

The Election Commission has, however, specified that there would be no change in the schedule for Parliamentary elections in these two states. The 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country are going to polls from April 19. The voting will be held in seven phases. The two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal and one in Sikkim vote on April 19, in the first phase. Simultaneously, they will vote to elect their state governments.