Sikkim Krantikari Morcha secures mega victory, wins 31 seats in 32-member assembly | India News

NEW DELHI: The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) secured a resounding victory in the Sikkim assembly elections 2024, clinching 31 out of the 32 seats, as per the Election Commission’s results announced on Sunday.
The party’s triumphant return to power in the Himalayan state was marked by a near-total domination of the electoral landscape.
In contrast, the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front faced a crushing defeat, managing to win only a single seat in the assembly.The polls for the Sikkim Assembly were conducted concurrently with the Lok Sabha elections on April 19, with the results reflecting a clear mandate in favour of the SKM.
Also Read: Sikkim Assembly Election Results
Look forward to working with SKM: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated SKM chief Prem Singh Tamang for his party’s victory and said he looks forward to working with the state government to further Sikkim’s progress.

“I thank all those who voted for @BJP4Sikkim in the Assembly Elections. I also appreciate the efforts put in by our Karyakartas,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

“Our Party will always be at the forefront of working towards Sikkim’s development and fulfilling people’s aspirations,” he said.
Congratulating SKM chief and Chief Minister Prem Singh Taamang (Golay), Modi said, “I look forward to working with the state government to further the progress of Sikkim in the coming times.”

BJP suffers major defeat

The BJP contested in 31 assembly seats but failed to win a single one in Sikkim where it had 12 members in the outgoing House.
The BJP could secure only 5.18 per cent of the votes in the Himalayan state. The SKM got 58.38 per cent votes while the Sikkim Democratic Front bagged 27.37 per cent votes.
Sikkim BJP president Dilli Ram Thapa lost to SKM nominee Kala Rai in the Upper Burtuk assembly constituency.
Thapa, a sitting MLA and a former minister lost to Rai by 2,968 votes.
Rai polled 6,723 votes while Thapa got 3,755. Sikkim Democratic Front’s DB Thapa polled 1,623 votes, while BK Tamang (CAP-A) bagged 581 votes.
The saffron party decided to go alone in the Sikkim Assembly polls after severing its alliance with the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) led by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang after the seat-sharing talks broke down on the latter’s reluctance to meet the BJP’s demand for a respectable number of seats.
Other parties vying for seats included the Congress, and Citizen Action Party-Sikkim (CAP-S). The counting process took place at six locations across six districts, with stringent security measures in place starting from 6 am.
EC ensures free and fair counting process
The officials said that arrangements had been made for counting votes in various districts: nine seats in Gangtok, seven in Namchi, five in Pakyong, four each in Soreng and Gyalshing, and three in Mangan. The Election Commission of India had deployed observers to ensure a free and fair counting process, and comprehensive security measures have been implemented under their supervision.
Approximately 80 per cent of the 4.64 lakh eligible voters cast their ballots in the 32 assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha seat during the first phase on April 19.
The votes for the lone Lok Sabha seat will be counted along with the rest of the country on June 4. Additionally, the CEO office reported that government employees cast an extra four per cent of votes through postal ballots.
High-stakes battle as key figures Tamang, Chamling, Bhutia, and more vie for victory
Among the 146 candidates in the fray, notable contenders include Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang, his wife Krishna Kumari Rai, former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, and former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia. The SKM and SDF fielded candidates in all 32 assembly seats, followed by the BJP (31), CAP-Sikkim (30), and Congress (12).
Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang secures landslide victory
Prem Singh Tamang, the chief minister of Sikkim, expressed his gratitude to the party supporters and the electorate of Sikkim following the landslide victory in the recent elections.
In his address to a gathering at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok, Tamang attributed the success to the trust and affection the people have placed in the government over the past five years.
“It is because of the love and trust of the people which we have managed to secure in the past five years in government. Besides, party cadres worked very hard,” he said.
Tamang, who contested from both Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung constituencies, emerged victorious in both seats. He assured the people of Sikkim that the government would dedicate itself fully to serving them in the next five years.
Krishna Kumari Rai, wife of Sikkim’s chief minister Prem Singh Tamang, emerged victorious in the Namchi-Singhithang assembly constituency election on Sunday, as confirmed by officials. Representing the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), Krishna Rai secured a decisive win over her closest rival, Bimal Rai of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), by a margin of 5,302 votes.
The final tally showed that the SKM candidate garnered 7,605 votes, while the SDF contender managed to secure 2,605 votes. The other candidates in the fray, Mahesh Rai from CAP-S and Aruna Manger from BJP, received 136 and 233 votes, respectively.
Pawan Kumar Chamling faces defeat in Sikkim elections, loses both assembly constituencies to SKM nominees
Pawan Kumar Chamling, the former chief minister of Sikkim and leader of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), suffered defeats in both the Poklok Kamrang and Namcheybung assembly constituencies, according to official reports on Sunday.
In Poklok Kamrang, Bhoj Raj Rai of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) emerged victorious with 8,037 votes, while Chamling secured 4,974 votes.
Similarly, in the Namcheybung assembly segment, Chamling was defeated by SKM’s Raju Basnet, who obtained 7,195 votes compared to Chamling’s 4,939 votes, resulting in a margin of 2,256 votes.
2019 elections
The 2019 election witnessed a close finish, with the SKM winning 17 seats against the SDF’s 15, ending the latter’s 25-year rule. Interestingly, the SDF was ousted from power despite receiving more votes than the SKM.