Bhandari to lead Sikkim Sangram Parishad again

GANGTOK, 19 May: Removed from the post of Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee president rather unceremoniously recently, former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, today confirmed his return to the party he had led at one time and claimed to have ‘merged’ into the Congress - the Sikkim Sangram Parishad. Addressing a joint press conference with the SSP president, Rajendra Upreti, Mr. Bhandari today confirmed that he will be taking charge as the SSP president on 24 May with Mr. Upreti standing in as working president.
Mr. Bhandari, it may be recalled, had given the Congress high-command time till 24 May to a set of conditions he had imposed on them. The SSP plans should have been obvious in the date itself since 24 May is SSP’s foundation day. Mr. Bhandari informed a press conference today that he will be formally taking charge of the party on 24 May, Thursday.
This will be the second time that Mr. Bhandari turns to SSP after being abandoned by the Congress. He had formed the SSP in 1984 after he was removed from the CM’s post by the Congress high command. Mr. Bhandari was a Congress CM at the time. He had then announced the merger of SSP with the Congress in end-July 2003. This was challenged by former Sangramis led by Mr. Upreti who have kept the party alive since then. And now Mr. Bhandari returns, after having been toppled by the Congress high command again.
“Sikkim Sangram Parishad held an executive meeting after the Mr. Bhandari was removed from the SPCC president’s post and decided to offer him the SSP leadership,” Mr. Upreti informed today.
After several rounds of meetings, Mr. Bhandari was offered the post of SSP president, while the sitting president Mr. Upreti agreed to stay on as working president and Kamal Rai, another Sangrami who had kept the party alive, is to continue as general secretary.
Mr. Bhandari announced today that with the re-launch of SSP, positive politics will return to Sikkim.