SKM sweeps Sikkim, BJP bags 3rd Arunachal term
BJP in Arunachal Pradesh and SKM in Sikkim won by large margins in the April 19 elections. BJP secured 46 out of 60 seats, while SKM won 31 out of 32 seats.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Arunachal Pradesh and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in Sikkim secured landslide victories in the assembly elections held on April 19, according to results declared on Sunday.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP won 46 out of the total 60 seats, with chief minister Pema Khandu, who has been in power since 2016, expected to continue for another term. The National People’s Party (NPP) came second with five seats, followed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with three, Peoples’ Party of Arunachal (PPA) with two, Congress with one and three seats secured by independents.
Chief minister Khandu thanked voters for their support and attributed the victory to the development work done by the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state.
“This is a historic win for the BJP in Arunachal Pradesh. In 2014, we bagged 41 seats and this time we secured 46. I thank the people of the state for this win. The development work done in the state in the past 10 years under PM Modi’s government at Centre played a big role in the win,” Khandu told journalists in Itanagar.
Hours after the poll results, Khandu, as is procedural, met Governor Lt General KT Parnaik (Retd) at Raj Bhavan on Sunday evening and tendered his resignation along with the council of ministers. The Governor accepted the resignations and requested Khandu and the cabinet continue in office until the new government is sworn in.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Arunachal Pradesh for giving an “unequivocal mandate to politics of development.”
BJP’s win was almost certain as the party had bagged 10 seats unopposed. The ruling party was the only one that fielded candidates in all 60 seats. The Congress, which was the biggest party till the BJP took that position nearly a decade back, had put up candidates in only 19 seats.
“In Arunachal Pradesh voters prefer to favour the party in power and the results were a continuation of that trend. We named 34 candidates for this election, but only 19 remained in the fray. Others withdrew from the contest due to the influence of money-power,” said former CM and state Congress president, Nabam Tuki.
“As of now no date has been fixed for the swearing in ceremony on the next chief minister and his cabinet, but it is expected to take place after June 6, after results for the Lok Sabha polls are available,” said BJP state spokesperson Techi Necha said.
The EC had preponed counting of votes for the assembly elections to Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim by two days as the tenure of the two assemblies are set to expire on June 2. Counting of votes for the two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh and one seat in Sikkim will take place on June 4 along with rest of the country.
Arunachal Pradesh witnessed 82.95% voter turnout on April 19, while Sikkim recorded 79.77%.
In Sikkim, the SKM won 31 out of the 32 seats that went to polls, while the opposition Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) managed to secure only one seat. Former chief minister Pawan Chamling, who held the post for a record 25 years from 1994 to 2019, lost both the seats he contested.
SDF’s Tenzing Norbu Lamtha emerged as the party’s sole winner. He won from Shyari in east Sikkim. Lamtha was an SKM leader but switched sides after Kunga Nima Lepcha, a minister, was fielded from Shyari by the ruling party.
Chief minister Prem Singh Tamang Golay, who won both seats he contested, said, “SKM’s landslide victory is a testimony of the people’s support for the government’s policies. We worked sincerely for the betterment of women, students and youths.”
He also said the SKM will remain a close partner of the BJP and work in coordination with the Centre. “I will take oath after the Lok Sabha election results are declared on June 4,” he added.
The BJP, which shares a friendly relationship with SKM, failed to secure any seats in Sikkim, as did the newly-formed Citizen Action Party (CAP).