Nar Bahadur Bhandari, one of the longest-serving chief ministers of Sikkim, died on Sunday, State government sources said.
Mr. Bhandari, a three-term former Chief Minister, was 77. He is survived by his wife Dil Kumari Bhandari, a former MP, two daughters and a son. He breathed his last at a Delhi hospital this afternoon.
Born in 1940 at Malbasey in West Sikkim, Mr. Bhandari was a teacher in a government school before he joined active politics. He became the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the first time in 1979 on a Janata Parishad ticket and then again in 1984 and 1989 on a Sikkim Sangram Parishad ticket. The founder of the SSP, Mr. Bhandari remained its President till his death.
Known as a pragmatic and resilient leader, Mr. Bhandari was the second Chief Minister after L.D. Kazi to hold the reins of the fledgling state which officially became a part of the Indian Union in 1975. He was also a former president of Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee.
“I am extremely sad and shocked to know about the untimely demise of Shri Nar Bahadur Bhandari. With his passing away, Sikkim has lost a worthy son of the soil whose contribution to the state and its people are unparalleld.” Chief Minister Pawan Chamling said.