Sikkim Lok Sabha Elections Results 2019 LIVE: Tables Turned as SKM's Subba Leads SDF's Katwal by Over 7,000 Votes
In the battle for Sikkim's sole, unreserved seat at the Lok Sabha, SKM is gunning to take over the post that has been held by SDF's representative for over two decades.
In the battle for Sikkim's sole, unreserved seat at the Lok Sabha, SKM is gunning to take over the post that has been held by SDF's representative for over two decades.
In what has been a sharp twist of fortune for Indra Hang Subba and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), the opposition party presently finds itself leading the race for capturing the sole Lok Sabha seat assigned to Sikkim. After trailing the erstwhile holder Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)'s Dek Bahadur Katwal by nearly 4,000 votes at one point, Subba has presently amassed nearly 64,000 votes, and established a lead of over 7,000 votes over Katwal, as per data sourced from the Election Commission of India. Despite having led the tally for much of the day in both the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections, the dominant SDF presently finds itself trailing to SKM in both the elections.
ALSO SEE: Sikkim Lok Sabha elections 2019 LIVE results tracker
Bhaichung Bhutia-led Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) is also behind on all counts so far, while BJP candidate Laten Tshering Sherpa ranks a distant third in the Lok Sabha elections.. The land-locked state saw voting for the solitary Lok Sabha seat happen on April 11, during the first phase of the 2019 elections. Interestingly, it took place on the same day as Sikkim's Legislative Assembly elections, which comprise 32 seats. SDF has been the ruling party in Sikkim for 25 years, with Chief Minister and SDF's founder-president Pawan Kumar Chamling holding the state's ruling seat for an equal span of time. The Sikkim constituency in Lok Sabha has also been represented by SDF since 1996, with Member of Parliament Prem Das Rai representing Sikkim for two straight terms, since 2009. Apart from 1977 (the first year when Sikkim participated in the Lok Sabha elections) it has uniformly voted for a representative from a regional party. The only exception to this was in 1984, when independent candidate Nar Bahadur Bhandari defeated erstwhile MP and Sikkim Janata Parishad candidate Pahal Man Subba, to claim the Lok Sabha seat.
Here are the latest developments from the state:
1. Indra Hang Subba of SKM leads the battle for Sikkim's sole Lok Sabha seat with 48.7 percent votes, maintaining a lead of nearly 7,000 votes over rival Dek Bahadur Katwal of SDF.
2. The tables appear to have turned for SKM in the Assembly elections as well, with SKM already having won three seat and leading in six. In contrast, the presently ruling SDF is believed to be only leading in four seats, according to ECI data as of 2:45PM. The target for setting up government is 17 seats.
3. If Subba manages to upset Katwal's chances of victory, SKM will become the first party to disrupt SDF's long-standing run in both state and centre. This will signify a first dramatic shift in power among Sikkim's ruling regional parties, since the mid '90s.
4. According to data released by the Sikkim election office, the electorate comprised 4,32,306 eligible voters during the polling on April 11. It ranked towards the higher end of voter turnout, recording 78.19 percent voter turnout.
5. A total of 11 nominees are contesting for the lone, unreserved Lok Sabha seat allotted to Sikkim, of which three are independent candidates. Since contesting for the first time in 1977, only one independent candidate has ever won the Sikkim Lok Sabha seat.
6. Prem Das Rai, the present Member of Parliament holding Sikkim’s Lok Sabha seat, did not contest for a third straight run in the Lok Sabha elections. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), the prime opposition of SDF, has appointed Indra Hang Subba as their candidate for the Lok Sabha seat, who is now trailing.
7. Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP), the young political party founded by Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia, has fielded Biraj Adhikari as its candidate for the seat.
8. SKM is the principal opposition of the SDF in the state government, and made considerable impact by winning 10 out of 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the previous election. However, the SKM has never won a Lok Sabha seat yet, and the trend looks set to continue.
9. Historical records so far have shown Sikkim to clearly favour its regional parties over the national heavyweights, with the SDF gaining clear victory in the past 23 years.
10. SDF has held the Lok Sabha seat since 1996, and victory in this election would lead it to a run of 28 straight years at the Parliament.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)
ALSO SEE: Sikkim Lok Sabha elections 2019 LIVE results tracker
Bhaichung Bhutia-led Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP) is also behind on all counts so far, while BJP candidate Laten Tshering Sherpa ranks a distant third in the Lok Sabha elections.. The land-locked state saw voting for the solitary Lok Sabha seat happen on April 11, during the first phase of the 2019 elections. Interestingly, it took place on the same day as Sikkim's Legislative Assembly elections, which comprise 32 seats. SDF has been the ruling party in Sikkim for 25 years, with Chief Minister and SDF's founder-president Pawan Kumar Chamling holding the state's ruling seat for an equal span of time. The Sikkim constituency in Lok Sabha has also been represented by SDF since 1996, with Member of Parliament Prem Das Rai representing Sikkim for two straight terms, since 2009. Apart from 1977 (the first year when Sikkim participated in the Lok Sabha elections) it has uniformly voted for a representative from a regional party. The only exception to this was in 1984, when independent candidate Nar Bahadur Bhandari defeated erstwhile MP and Sikkim Janata Parishad candidate Pahal Man Subba, to claim the Lok Sabha seat.
Here are the latest developments from the state:
1. Indra Hang Subba of SKM leads the battle for Sikkim's sole Lok Sabha seat with 48.7 percent votes, maintaining a lead of nearly 7,000 votes over rival Dek Bahadur Katwal of SDF.
2. The tables appear to have turned for SKM in the Assembly elections as well, with SKM already having won three seat and leading in six. In contrast, the presently ruling SDF is believed to be only leading in four seats, according to ECI data as of 2:45PM. The target for setting up government is 17 seats.
3. If Subba manages to upset Katwal's chances of victory, SKM will become the first party to disrupt SDF's long-standing run in both state and centre. This will signify a first dramatic shift in power among Sikkim's ruling regional parties, since the mid '90s.
4. According to data released by the Sikkim election office, the electorate comprised 4,32,306 eligible voters during the polling on April 11. It ranked towards the higher end of voter turnout, recording 78.19 percent voter turnout.
5. A total of 11 nominees are contesting for the lone, unreserved Lok Sabha seat allotted to Sikkim, of which three are independent candidates. Since contesting for the first time in 1977, only one independent candidate has ever won the Sikkim Lok Sabha seat.
6. Prem Das Rai, the present Member of Parliament holding Sikkim’s Lok Sabha seat, did not contest for a third straight run in the Lok Sabha elections. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), the prime opposition of SDF, has appointed Indra Hang Subba as their candidate for the Lok Sabha seat, who is now trailing.
7. Hamro Sikkim Party (HSP), the young political party founded by Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia, has fielded Biraj Adhikari as its candidate for the seat.
8. SKM is the principal opposition of the SDF in the state government, and made considerable impact by winning 10 out of 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly in the previous election. However, the SKM has never won a Lok Sabha seat yet, and the trend looks set to continue.
9. Historical records so far have shown Sikkim to clearly favour its regional parties over the national heavyweights, with the SDF gaining clear victory in the past 23 years.
10. SDF has held the Lok Sabha seat since 1996, and victory in this election would lead it to a run of 28 straight years at the Parliament.
(Get detailed and live results of each and every seat in the Lok Sabha elections and state Assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and to know which candidate/party is leading or trailing and to know who has won and who has lost and by what margin. Our one-of-its-kind Election Analytics Centre lets you don a psephologist’s hat and turn into an election expert. Know interesting facts and trivia about the elections and see our informative graphics. Elections = News18)