Sikkim NOW!

<<HOW SIKKIM HAS VOTED

Intro: Sikkim will go to poll on 12 April 2014. Starting today, we bring to our readers, on one election per day basis, a look back at Assembly elections in Sikkim since 1979 when the first elections as a part of India were held in the State. The daily capsule will cover one election per day and provide details like the names of victors and runners-up from all 32 constituencies and their respective vote-share. The constituencies had different names and boundaries before 2009 when the new delimitation came into effect. We will also include some trivia and other highlights of each election. The rest of the country might be undertaking opinion polls and poll projections, but at NOW! we believe that going over past records can help make better sense of ongoing issues and trends. We hope our readers enjoy this exercise as much as we enjoyed putting it together. We begin the series with Election 1979. [turn to pg4]

Elections 1979

Total number of voters: 1,17,157 [M: 65,913; F: 51,244]

Parties in the fray: Sikkim Janta Parishad, Sikkim Prajatantra Congress, Sikkim Scheduled Castes League, Sikkim Congress (R), CPIM, Indian National Congress, Janta Party

A staggering 244 candidates were in the fray for the 32 seats in 1979. 173 of the candidates lost their deposits polling less than 1/6^th of the votes cast. Gangtok constituency had the maximum number of contestants at 17 and Sangha had the least at just 2 candidates. There were 108 Independent candidates only one of whom won – Lachen Gomchen Rinpoche getting elected to the Sangha seat as an Independent candidate. The contest was multi-cornered, which goes to explain the slim margins of victory and of how many candidates were elected even though they secured less than 30% of the votes in their respective constituencies. The election was significant because it launched the political career of Nar Bahadur Bhandari and ended that of LD Kazi [who contested unsuccessfully from Dzongu].

Voter Turnout: 65.13% [M: 64.67%; F: 65.71%]

Remember, the 1979 elections were contested on the emotive issue of the loss of the seats reserved in the Legislative Assembly for the Sikkimese Nepalese and the demerger slogan raised by Nar Bahadur Bhandari. Mr. Bhandari’s Sikkim Janta Party received 31.49% of the votes which translated to 16 seats, exactly the halfway mark. He formed a coalition government with Sikkim Congress (R) which had 4 seats.

Constituency	Winner [with party and vote share in brackets]	Runner-up [with party and vote share in brackets]
Yuksom	Sanchaman Limboo [SJP, 31.61%]	Ashok Kumar Subba [Indp, 23.31%]
Tashiding (ST)	Dawgyal Pentso Bhutia [SJP, 47.12%]	Phurba Wangyal Lassopa [JNP, 32.45%]
Geyzing	Indra Bdr. Limboo [SJP, 33.31%]	Nanda Kumar Subedi [SCR, 26.41%]
Dentam	Padam Lall Gurung [SCR, 43.23%]	Pahalman Subba [SJP, 17.27%]
Barmiok	Til Bdr. Limbu [SJP, 33.20%]	Manita Pradhan [SCR, 20.22%] and Bhakta Bdr. Chettri [SPC, 20.22%]
Rinchenpong (ST)	Katuk Bhutia [SJP, 27.88%]	Degey Bhutia [JNP, 22.38%]
Chakung	B.B. Gurung [SCR, 65.67%]	Kulman Mukhia [SJP, 15.47%]
Soreong	Nar Bahadur Bhandari [SJP, 70.26%]	Kuldeep Gurung [SCR, 14.37%]
Daramdin	Padam Bdr Gurung [SJP, 68.31%]	Phurba Sangay Sherpa [JNP, 12.47%]
Jorthang-Nayabazar	Bhim Bdr. Gurung [SCR, 24.21%]	Lila Kumar Rai [SJP, 22.15%]
Ralong (ST)	Chamla Tshering [SCR, 26.34%]	Sonam Pintso Takapa [Indp, 22.31%]
Wak	Garjaman Gurung [SPC, 34.38%]	Durga Prasad Rajalim [SJP, 27.83%]
Damthang	Pradeep Yanzone [SCR, 26.05%]	Mani Raj Rai [SJP, 24.52%]
Melli	Mohan Prasad Sharma [SJP, 26.89%]	Sailesh Chandra Pradhan [Indp, 21.22%]
Rateypani-West Pendam (SC)	Bir Bdr. Lohar [SCR, 54.33%]	Isory Majhee [SPC, 31.60%]
Temi-Tarku	Nar Bdr. Khatiwada [SPC, 37.67%]	Harikrishna Sharma [SJP, 22.49%]
Central Pendam-East Pendam	Bhuwani Prasad Kharel [SCR, 37.94%]	Toga Nidhi Bhandari [SJP, 21.84%]
Rhenock	Kharananda Upreti [SCR, 23.04%]	Bhuwani Prasad Dahal [JNP, 16.38%]
Regu	Tulshi Sharma [SJP, 25.83%]	Karna Bahadur [Indp, 23.26%]
Pathing (ST)	Ram Lepcha [SCR, 30.65%]	Chitim Bhutia [SJP, 22.57%]
Loosing-Pacheykhani	Jagat Bandhu Pradhan [SCR, 44.29%]	Bans Bahadur Basnet [SJP, 16.64%]
Khamdong (SC)	Dil Bdr. Damai [SPC, 35.95%]	Tilochan [SJP, 28.83%]
Djongu (ST)	Athup Lepcha [SJP, 45.79%]	Kazi Lhendup Dorjee Khangsarpa [JNP, 26.63%]
Lachen-Mangshila (ST)	Tenzing Dadul Bhutia [SJP, 45.62%]	Tasha Tengey Lepcha [JNP, 27.72%]
Kabi Tingda (ST)	Sonam Tshering [SJP, 50.65%]	Kalzang Gyatso [JNP, 42.39%]
Rakdong Tintek (ST)	Dugo Bhutia [SPC, 57.60%]	Loden Tshering Bhutia [SJP, 20.68%]
Martam (ST)	Samten Tshering [SJP, 36.94%]	Rapzang Lama [SPC, 30.17%]
Rumtek (ST)	Dadul Bhutia [SJP, 39.03%]	Karma Gyampo Bhutia [SPC, 24.78%]
Assam Lingjey (ST)	Sherab Palden [SJP, 63.82%]	Phuchung Tshering [SCR, 23.08%]
Ranka (ST)	Dorji Tsh Bhutia [SCR, 33.85%]	Sonam Tshering Bhutia [SJP, 32.90%]
Gangtok	Lall Bahadru Basnet [SJP, 38.89%]	Dorjee Dadul [JNP, 26.75%]
Sangha	Lachen Rinpoche [Indp, 94.22%]	Pema Lama [SPC, 5.78%]