Sikkim: Political history
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Constituencies
32-Sangha constituency: only monks vote and contest
3,293 voters are there in the segment sans shape or size as in April 2019.
This unique Assembly constituency does not exist on the State’s map and has no geographical boundaries.
“It is only one-of-its-kind constituency in the country reserved for the monastic community (Sangha),” the office of Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Sikkim states on its website.
Buddhist monks registered with 51 monasteries in the State are the only ones who can contest and cast their votes for the unique Assembly seat. R. Telang, CEO of Sikkim, said that the number of voters for the Sangha seat this year is 3,293, which includes 3,224 (monks) and 69 (nuns).
Three EVMs
“In 51 polling stations, arrangements are being made for casting vote for the Sangha seat,” the CEO said. “Along with one EVM for Assembly seat, and one for Lok Sabha seat, there will be third EVM for monks to cast votes on the Sangha seat,” he added. The 3,293 monks can vote at the EVMs designated for the Lok Sabha seat and for the Sangha seat in these 51 polling stations, he added.
Centuries-old tradition
Sonam Lama, who won the Assembly seat in 2014 as a representative of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), said that the seat draws its origin from hundreds of years of tradition.
“Before 1975, when Sikkim became part of India, the State had a monarchy,” said Mr. Lama. “The Ministers to the king were selected from both common people and priests,” he added.
Tshering Lama, who is contesting the seat as a candidate of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), said that references to representation of Lamas (monks) in the council of ministers dated back to 1640 under the Chogyal kings of the State. Experts say the separate electorate for monks of the 51 registered monasteries in the Sangha seat is provided for under article 371 (F) of the Constitution, which has separate provisions with respect to the State of Sikkim.
Three-cornered contest
In the 2014 Assembly polls, the SKM candidate had won the seat by a margin of only 126 votes.
With one of the lowest numbers of voters, the Sangha Assembly seat is one of the closely contested seats of Sikkim. Other than candidates from SKM and SDF, Karma Tashi Bhutia from Congress is also in the electoral fray in this seat.
All three candidates are reaching out to the monks residing in monasteries across the State with promises to bring the Karmapa to Sikkim and serve the religion. On April 11, the monks would take a break from their spiritual routines and chanting of prayers to elect their representative.
2017
Support for Gorkhaland comes at a cost
Jigme Pazo, Paradise Imperiled: Sikkim pays price for Gorkhaland, Sep 9, 2017: The Times of India
See graphic:
2011-17, Sikkim’s support for Gorkhaland
Suraj Biswakarma is a worried man. The flourishing tourism business in Sikkim that was raking in big bucks for many like him has dried up, thanks to the neighbouring hills of Darjeeling shutting down to press its demand for separate statehood. During the tourist season the 33-yearold taxi driver from Gangtok easily made Rs 70,000 a month, but this year he has barely managed Rs 25,000.
“Our biggest festival (Dashain) is around the corner. Every year I visit my inlaws with gifts. I don't know what my family and I will do this time,“ he said.
Sandwiched between China to the north and West Bengal to the south, the land-locked state of Sikkim has been brought to its knees as the Gorkhaland shutdown approaches a record-breaking three months. The state's only lifeline to the outside world, National Highway 10, remains open, but with 70km of it lying in Darjeeling and Kalimpong and reports of violence in the hills, tour ists have kept away. Tourism may have been the hardest hit, but virtually no other sector has remained unaffected either.
“Sikkim's development has slowed down as we depend on Siliguri for all our resources,“ said former tourism minister KT Gyaltsen, now legal advisor to the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front party. “The construction industry is affected. We have children studying in Darjeeling schools. People have taken a lot of loans and many of our youth are dependent on the tourism industry . It (the shutdown) has hit our economy .“
Tourism secretary Chewang Zangpo pointed out that between January and June this year, tourist footfall in the state hit a record 11.75 lakh, which included 31,000 foreigners, and then fell sharply . “Sikkim has been grossly affected. Although the national highway was always open, many countries started issuing advisories cautioning their citizens to avoid our state,“ he said. The price that Sikkim is paying for the Darjeeling cause may be putting a strain on the overwhelming support it extended to its neighbour at the start of this latest round of agitation. What was initially a display of solidarity for neighbours of a similar culture, rapidly digressed into alarm as Sikkim vehicles came under attack across the border. As income from the tourism sector which has been flourishing in the past decade, remains non-existent, frustration is on the rise.
Gyalsten has a logical explanation for Sikkim's support for the cause. “If we had stayed silent, disturbance would have started right from Rangpo (the town bordering West Bengal). Our message was `We support the movement and now leave us alone,'“ he said. Pintso Chopel, Sikkim Democratic Front MLA Gangtok echoes a similar sentiment. “Our sympathy is always there but we want the problem solved as early as possible,“ he said.
2019
SKM’s Golay sworn in as CM
Chewan K Dahal, SKM’s Golay takes oath as Sikkim CM, May 28, 2019: The Times of India
Gangtok:
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) was sworn in as the sixth chief minister of Sikkim during a public function at Paljor Stadium.
Governor Ganga Prasad administered the oath of office and secrecy to Golay and his cabinet members. Golay took the oath of office in Nepali language along with the 11-member council of ministers comprising SKM acting president Kunga Nima Lepcha and others.
After taking charge of the office, chief minister PS Golay announced a five-day working week for state government employees.
“We have fulfilled one of our election promises to reduce the working week for government employees from six days earlier to five days,” he said.
