1. SKM, led by CM Prem Singh Tamang, hinges on welfare initiatives for re-election in Sikkim.
2. April 19 marks the elections for the 32-member Sikkim Assembly and the lone Lok Sabha seat.
3. SKM’s strategy focuses on emphasizing past government welfare efforts to win voters’ confidence.
Gangtok, April 01: The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) led by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang is relying on its government’s welfare initiatives to secure a second consecutive term in the upcoming elections in the Himalayan state.
Elections for the 32-member Sikkim Assembly and the lone Lok Sabha seat are scheduled for April 19.
The SKM highlights welfare measures like free LPG cylinders, cash transfers to women heads of families, and benefits for indigenous people in government service among its achievements.
“We have fulfilled all the promises we made in 2019,” stated Tamang at a rally, urging voters to support his party for a prosperous future.
SKM, formed in 2013, won 17 seats in the 2019 Assembly elections, ending the 25-year rule of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF).
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Tamang is contesting from two assembly seats, while his wife Krishna Kimari Rai is contesting from another.
SKM is contesting the elections independently after the BJP broke its alliance.
Opposition parties criticize the SKM for not providing reservations in assembly seats to tribal communities and failing to address the tribal status issue of 12 communities.
They also accused the SKM of not adequately protecting Sikkim’s special status following a Supreme Court order expanding the definition of “Sikkimese people.”
Despite criticisms, Tamang managed to modify the Supreme Court order through an application by the central government.
