CM brother as Independent - Chamling sibling & party tight-lipped on candidature

(From above) RN Chamling and Pawan Chamling. Picture by Prabin Khaling

Nirmal Mangar, TT, Gangtok, Aug. 27: Rup Narayan Chamling, the younger brother of chief minister Pawan Chamling, today filed his nomination as an Independent for the upcoming bypoll to Rangang-Yangang Assembly constituency in south Sikkim.

He said his decision to be in the fray was because of “the wish of the people who want me to contest”.

“Moreover, in a democracy everyone has the right to contest an election. I will make my election programmes public tomorrow,” said Rup Narayan, who is 51 years old.

He filed the nomination at the district court in Namchi around 1.30pm. Today was the last date of filing the nominations.

Told that his chief minister-brother had often said no one else from his family will contest elections, Rup Narayan declined comment.

He also would not speak on why he was not contesting as the candidate of the Sikkim Democratic Front, the party of his elder brother.

“We have nothing to say on R.N. Chamling contesting the election,” a senior SDF leader said today.

According to south district collector Prabhakar Verma, seven nominations were received and four of them are from Independents.

“The scrutiny of the nominations will be held on Thursday and the last date of withdrawing the nomination is August 30,” he said.

The bypoll is scheduled for September 13.

Pawan Chamling had contested from the same seat in the recently concluded Assembly polls. He got 6,343 votes against SKM candidate Bikash Basnet who got 3,201 votes. Basnet is now contesting the bypolls on a BJP ticket.

The other seat, which Pawan Chamling contested, was from Namchi-Singithang in south Sikkim.

Later, Pawan Chamling dropped the Rangang-Yangang seat because according to the Election Commission guidelines, no elected MLA can hold a post in two seats.

Pawan Chamling has four brothers. All of them are government contractors.