SDF connects with masses for elections

SDF general secretary GM Gurung interacts with a villager at Namcheybong in East Sikkim on Wednesday

Rajeev Ravidas, TT, Jul 26, 2018, Gangtok: The ruling Sikkim Democratic Party (SDF) has been on a statewide door-to-door campaign for a week now in the lead up to the Assembly elections next year.

The party, which has been in power in Sikkim for close to 25 years, has assigned its seniors leaders, including ministers and MLAs, to lead the campaign. The campaign comes close on the hills of chief minister's 32-constituency mass contact programme that ended last month.

Party sources said the objectives of the door-to-door campaign were two-fold. "The campaign's objectives are to listen to the grievances of the public first hand, and also make them aware of the many progressive programmes being implemented by the government for their benefit," said a source.

Some political observers said the SDF had taken to election mode o pre-empt its rivals from getting a head start. "This is an established practice of the SDF for many elections now. It never allows the Opposition to set the pace, and this strategy has been fetching rich dividends for the party so far," said an observer.

The opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and the nascent Hamro Sikkim Party of former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia are looking to buck the trend this time. In the last elections in 2014, the SKM had given a tough fight to the SDF by winning 10 out of the 32 seats, but subsequently seven MLAs had defected to the ruling party.

SDF spokesman K. T. Gyaltsen, however, dismissed the threat of both the parties. "The former captain of the Indian team has opened a party without a captain and the captain of the other party is a convict," he said, referring to Bhutia's party which has yet to name its president, and P. S. Golay, the SKM president, who has been languishing in jail after being convicted in a corruption case.

Golay is expected to be released from jail next month, but appears unlikely to be eligible for contesting election. "As per the Representation of People's Act, 1951, he will not be eligible to contest any election for a period of six years from the date of his release," said Gyaltsen even though SKM leaders insists that they would explore all legal options in order get Golay to contest the Assembly elections.(Source & Courtesy: The Telegraph)