Sikkim’s longest-serving Chief Minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling, has suffered a major setback after losing both constituencies he contested in the recent Assembly elections. The veteran politician, who has been an MLA for eight terms and led the SDF to five consecutive electoral victories, was defeated by candidates from the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in both the Poklok Kamrang and Namcheybung seats.
In the Poklok Kamrang constituency, Chamling lost to Bhoj Raj Rai by 3,063 votes. Rai polled 8,037 votes, while Chamling secured 4,974 votes. Arjun Rai of the BJP and Sanju Rai of the Citizen Action Party-Sikkim (CAP-S) received 739 and 691 votes, respectively.
In the Namcheybung constituency, Chamling lost to Raju Basnet by 2,256 votes. Basnet bagged 7,195 votes, while Chamling secured 4,939 votes. Severine Rai of the CAP-S received 814 votes, while the BJP’s Pooja Sharma got 374 votes.
The SKM has won 31 of the 32 Assembly seats in Sikkim, returning to power with a strong mandate. The SDF, which contested in all 32 seats, managed to win only one.
Chamling, who has been the Chief Minister of Sikkim for 25 years from 1994 to 2019, will now not be a member of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the first time in 39 years.
