Revolt brews in Sikkim parties
RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, 25 March 2019, Gangtok: Both the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the main opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) have been reeling with dissent ignited by disgruntled leaders who were denied tickets for the Assembly elections.
The SDF and the SKM have declared candidates for all 32 Assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha constituency in the state.
After the announcements, many aspirants who were de- nied tickets have come out openly in revolt with some of them even quitting their parties.
Leading the revolt in the SDF are leaders like Asish Rai, the chairman of the Gangtok Municipal Corporation, K. D. Limbu, the chairman of the Sikkim Poultry Board and Tenzing Lhamta, an aspirant from Shyari constituency.
The leading SKM dissenters are C. P. Sharma, a party spokesman, Binod Basnet, a senior from SorengChakhung constituency, and Mingma Lhamu Bhutia, the convener of the Nari Shakti, the party's women's wing.
Limbu and Lhamta have quit their party and joined the SKM along with their supporters.
Both the parties, however, sought to make light of the brewing revolts.
"There will always be many aspirants for tickets, and these sort of things happen. In time, everything will settle down," said Bhim Dahal, the SDF spokesman.
Jacob Khaling, the SKM spokesman, said: "We cannot accommodate everyone. Get- ting tickets is not very important because our main goal is to bring about a change in government." Golay not in fray SKM president G. S. Golay will not contest the election. His name does not feature in his party's final list of 13 Assembly candidates whose names were released on Saturday night.
The party, however, insisted that Golay would still be its chief ministerial candidate.
The SKM also threw as sur- prise by fielding Golay's son Aditya from their home constituency of SorengChakung.
The Telegraph had reported on Saturday that Golay was not likely to contest the election, given that he was released from prison on August 10 last year after serving a year's term following his conviction in a corruption case.
According to the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, a person cannot contest an election for six years from the date of his release.
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