Hint at SKM-BJP poll alliance .....Sikkim party sets demands for tie-up

PS Golay with Ram Madhav in New Delhi on Friday ... A Telegraph picture

Rajeev Ravidas , TT, 9 March 2019, Gangtok: The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha and the BJP have reached close to an agreement to fight the coming parliamentary and Assembly elections in the state jointly but opinion was divided over its impact on the ground.

While BJP general secretary Ram Madhav said an alliance had been stitched, the SKM said the possibility of the tie-up existed, but it was yet to be confirmed.

“The SKM is the main opposition party in Sikkim. Its president and MLAs came down to Delhi yesterday (Thursday) and met our party national president Shri Amit (Shah) bhai. And today (Friday), together with our state party leaders, they came to meet me and finalise the understanding between the BJP and the SKM,” Madhav said in New Delhi on Friday.

The SKM delegation which met the BJP leaders was led by party president P. S. Golay.

Madhav added: “We decided that both the parties should fight the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections together in Sikkim. Remaining details like seat sharing will be worked out in the next couple of days.”

The SKM, however, gave a slightly different version of the event.

“There is a possibility of an alliance, but it has not been confirmed yet. The SKM has put forward different political demands before the BJP, and if they are met, we will have an alliance. Seat sharing is a secondary issue,” said Bikash Basnet, the SKM publicity secretary, while adding that the BJP was positive to the demands.

The demands of the SKM include restoration of Nepali seats in the Sikkim Assembly, reservation of seats for the Limbu and Tamang communities in the Assembly, granting of Scheduled Tribe status to 11 Nepali-speaking communities, income tax exemption to all Sikkimese and protection of Article 371F of the Constitution.

Observers were divided over the impact of the SKM-BJP alliance in the elections. Some felt it would benefit the SDF, others said the SKM would stand to gain from it.

“The BJP has no presence in the state and the people of Sikkim traditionally do not trust national parties. So, this alliance could actually hurt the SKM,” said an analyst.

Another sang a different tune: “If the BJP agrees to the demands listed by the SKM, it will give the party a huge boost.”