Get Annual plan at only Rs 289. In less than three months since the election result, BJP has gone from zero seats to 12 seats in the Sikkim Assembly, even as Prem Singh Tamang continues to face an uncertain future as CM
As many as 10 Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) belonging to the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 13. Before this, SDF had 13 MLAs in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
SDF’s legislature party effectively merged with the BJP. This also meant that the BJP, which has a minor presence in Sikkim, became the main opposition party in the state. The BJP had not won a single seat in the recent Legislative Assembly election.
Days later, two of the three remaining SDF MLAs joined the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM). This meant that former chief minister and SDF leader Pawan Kumar Chamling was the only remaining legislator from the party. BJP now has 12 MLAs in the Assembly.
Change witnessed in recent months
In the Sikkim election, held along with the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the SKM stormed to power. With 17 seats, SKM won a slim but clear majority in the 32-member Assembly.
SDF, which was in power since 1994, won 15 seats. However, as two of the SDF’s MLAs had won from two seats, they resigned from one seat each, reducing the party's strength to 13 in the Assembly.
Chamling had held the state’s top executive office since 1994. This had made him the longest serving chief minister of a state in India. Chamling was replaced by SKM’s Prem Singh Tamang, who is also known as PS Golay.
The SDF had won 47.63 percent votes, slightly more than SKM’s vote share of 47.03 percent. The BJP had a vote share of 1.62 percent. Congress’ vote share of 0.77 percent was lesser than that of the 0.86 percent voters who opted for ‘None of the Above (NOTA)’.
Chamling’s party was a member of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). However, it was replaced by SKM ahead of the elections.
CM faces his own challenge
Tamang may have become Sikkim’s chief minister, but he continues to face uncertainty.
He had not contested the Assembly polls as he had been convicted of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (PCA) by a Sikkim court. The case dates back to when he was the state’s Minister for Animal Husbandry in 1996.
The charges in the case had been brought by the then SDF dispensation. He served a year in jail and was released in August 2018.
As a result, under Section 8 (1)(m) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, he cannot contest any election for six years from the date of release. The means, he will not be able to contest until at least 2024.
However, by law, he is also required to get elected to the Assembly within six months of assuming the office.
Tamang has approached the Supreme Court (SC), hoping to overturn the conviction. He has also knocked the doors of the Election Commission (EC), seeking permission to contest the bypolls.
BJP’s next battleground?
Except Sikkim, all state governments in the Northeast are either run by the BJP or its allies. This makes Sikkim BJP’s next battleground in the region.
BJP’s National General Secretary Ram Madhav, who is responsible for the Northeast region, has said the BJP will play the role of a constructive opposition in the state.
With its 12 MLAs, the BJP will be waiting in the wings to stake claim in the state in an event that the SKM government becomes unstable.Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months at 289. Use code FREEDOM.
