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...Everything you ever wanted to know about Sikkim

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   ELECTIONS AFTER THE MERGER   

  
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Following the Tripartite Agreement, the State was divided into 32 constituencies: 15 seats were reserved for the Bhutia-Lepchas, 15 for the Nepalis, I for the Schedule Caste/ Schedule Tribe and one for the Sangha. The Chogyal would continue to be the constitutional head and the Assembly would have no powers to question him or his family. The head of the administration would be a Chief Executive from India. The first 

election for the Assembly was held in April

1974 and the party of Kazi Lendup Dorjee, Sikkim Congress swept the polls by winning 31 seats. The Government of Sikkim pressed hard to have closer ties with India and on 5th September, 1974, the Constitution (Thirty-fifth amendment) was passed in Parliament to up-grade the status of Sikkim from a protectorate to an associate state of the Indian Union. 

However differences between the Chogyal and the Assembly got aggravated to such an extent, that the Sikkim Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution. on 10 April, 1975, abolishing the institution of the Chogyal and declaring Sikkim as a constituent unit of India. The Assembly also resolved to submit its resolution to the people of Sikkim by way of a general referendum. About 60,000 votes were cast in favour of the resolution whereas 1,500 against. 

Consequently the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha passed the Thirty-Eight Constitution Amendment Bill: which received the assent of the President on 16th May 1975 and made Sikkim the 22nd state of the Indian Union. 

The next election was held in October 1979. Prior to the elections, however, an Ordinance, called the Representation of the People. (Amendment) Ordinance, 1979 was issued in which the seat reservation for the Nepalis was with- drawn. Out of the 32 seats, 12 seats were reserved for Bhutia-Lepchas, 2 seats for the Scheduled Caste and one seat for the Sangha. The other seats were general. Many parties dubbed this Ordinance as the Black Bi1l because it completely did away the seat reservations for the Nepalis. The Sikkim Janata Parishad led by N.B.Bhandari secured 17 seats and formed the government. In 1981 the Sikkim Janata Parishad joined the Congress(I) and became the Sikkim Pradesh Congress(I). In 1984 the government of N.B.Bhandari was dismissed by the governor on the ground that he had lost the support of the M.L.A's. B.B. Gurung was insta1led as the new chief minister but his ministry lasted only 13 days and President's rule was imposed. N.B. Bhandari formed a new party ca1led the Sikkim Sangram Parishad which won 31 of the 32 seats in the General Elections in 1984. In the 1989 elections N.B. Bhandari was returned to power the third time by sweeping a1l the 32 seats. On 17th June 1994, dissidents toppled the Bhandari Government on the controversial issue of income tax concessions to the tribals. Mr. Sanchaman Limboo was insta1led as the Chief Minister as head of the party ca1led the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (Sanchaman). In the Assembly election held on 17th Nov. 1994, a regional party, the Sikkim Democratic Front was returned to power and its leader Mr. Pawan Chamling was insta1led as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. 

On the national front, the members who were elected from Sikkim for the Lok Sabha are S.K. Rai, C.B. Katwal, Pahal Man Subba, D.K. Bhandari, N.B. Bhandari, Nandu Thapa, D.K. Bhandari and B.B. Dahal in that order. L.S. SaTing was the first Rajya Sabha member from Sikkim fo1lowed by Karma Top den.

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