The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) emerged triumphant in the recent Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim Assembly elections, securing landslide victories and retaining power for their respective third and second consecutive terms.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP dominated the polls, capturing 46 out of the 60 seats. The party had already secured 10 uncontested seats prior to the election, with no other parties fielding candidates against Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his deputy Chowna Mein, as well as eight others.
Similarly, in Sikkim, the SKM achieved an unprecedented victory, winning 31 of the 32 seats in the State Assembly. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang himself emerged victorious from two constituencies – Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung. The lone winner from the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) was Tenzing Norbu Lamtha, who had switched from the SKM before the election. Notably, the SKM and BJP were previously part of the National Democratic Alliance, but had ended their partnership ahead of the polls.
Political observers attributed the BJP’s success in Arunachal Pradesh to the absence of significant anti-incumbency sentiments, as well as its strong grass-roots organization. The Congress, which had governed the state for over three decades, managed to field candidates for only 19 of the 34 seats they had intended to contest. The National People’s Party (NPP) emerged as the second-largest party, winning five seats, while the Nationalist Congress Party and the People’s Party of Arunachal claimed three seats each. Notably, former Chief Minister Gegong Apang, who had been in power for over two decades, faced defeat.
In Sikkim, the SKM’s victory was seen as a reflection of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s popularity and the lack of major grievances among voters. The SDF, which had dominated Sikkim politics for many years, faced a setback with the SKM’s overwhelming success. Voters in the Himalayan state have exhibited a pattern of giving regional parties a second chance since the President’s Rule in 1985.
The SKM’s win underscored the significance of individual-driven politics in Sikkim, with Tamang’s policies and schemes, particularly those aimed at alleviating poverty and providing government jobs to youth, resonating with voters. The party’s victory despite allegations of corruption raised by the SDF was attributed to their effective response to the glacial lake outburst disaster in October 2023, highlighting the alleged shortcomings of the SDF’s handling of hydropower projects.
The Sikkim election also marked the end of an era for the SDF’s founder-president Pawan Kumar Chamling, who lost from both seats he contested. Former footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, who had merged his Hamro Sikkim Party with the SDF in 2023, also faced defeat, marking his sixth electoral loss since 2014. The BJP, despite having 10 MLAs prior to the election, and the newly-formed Citizen Action Party were unable to make significant gains, with the BJP facing concerns about potential threats to Article 371F, which guarantees special status for Sikkim.
