2009 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election

2009 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election

30 April 2009
All 32 seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly 17 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	83.78%[1]
Majority party Minority party   Leader Pawan Kumar Chamling Nar Bahadur Bhandari Party SDF INC Alliance UPA UPA Leader since 1994 Leader's seat Poklok–Kamrang Soreng–Chakung, Tumin–Lingee (both lost) Last election 31 1 Seats won 32 0 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 165,991 69,612 Percentage 65.91% 27.64% Swing 5.18% 1.51%
Chief Minister before election Pawan Kumar Chamling SDF Elected Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling SDF

The Sikkim Legislative Assembly election of 2009 took place in April 2009, concurrently with the 2009 Indian general election. The elections were held in the state for all 32 legislative assembly seats along with the third phase of 2009 Indian general elections on 30 April 2009. The results were declared on 5 May 2009. The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) further strengthened their majority in the Sikkim Assembly by winning all the seats. Incumbent Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling's Government returned for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term having won previous elections in 1994, 1999, and 2004.

Previous Assembly

In the 2004 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election, the SDF almost had a clean-sweep winning 31 of the 32 seats in the state. Congress was the only other party to win any seats, winning the Sangha seat that is reserved for the monks and nuns of Sikkim's many monasteries. P.K. Chamling led SDF had already formed the previous two Governments in Sikkim having first formed the Government after the 1994 election, when they won 19 seats within a year of the party being formed),^[2] and then again after the 1999 election, when they increased their tally to 24 seats.^[3] Chamling's third term began on May 21, 2004, when he and his 11cabinate ministers were sworn in by the then Governor of Sikkim V. Rama Rao.^[4]

Background

With the tenure of the Sikkim Assembly scheduled to expire on 23 May 23, 2009, the Election Commission of India announced^[5] on 2 March 2009, that the elections to the Sikkim Assembly would be held at the same time as the general election. Sikkim voted in the third phase of the 5-phase national election.

Though SDF had provided external support to Manmohan Singh's Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre since 2004, the SDF and Congress were the main political opponents in Sikkim. Ironically, the Congress was led in the state by Nar Bahadur Bhandari, mentor and former colleague of Chamling.

In this election UDF was formed by coalition of BJP, INC and few other parties, which was thrown into disarray with its constituents appearing to go separate.

Schedule of election

Poll Event	Dates
Announcement & Issue of Press Note	Monday, 02 Mar 2009
Issue of Notification	Thursday, 02 Apr 2009
Last Date for filing Nominations	Thursday, 09 Apr 2009
Scrutiny of Nominations	Friday, 10 Apr 2009
Last date for withdrawal of Candidature	Monday, 13 Apr 2009
Date of Poll	Thursday, 30 Apr 2009
Counting of Votes on	Saturday, 16 May 2009
Date of election being completed	Saturday, 23 May 2009
Constituencies Polling on this day	32
Source: Election Commission of India[5]

Location of Sikkim in India

Parties and candidates

Party Type	Code	Party Name	Number of candidates	Total
National Parties	BJP	Bharatiya Janata Party	11	57
	CPM	Communist Party of India (Marxist)	3
	INC	Indian National Congress	32
	NCP	Nationalist Congress Party	11
State Parties	SDF	Sikkim Democratic Front	32	32
Unrecognised or Unregistered Parties	SGPP	Sikkim Gorkha Prajatantrik Party	27	53
	SHRP	Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad	20
	SJEP	Sikkim Jan-Ekta Party	6
Independents	n/a	Independents	25	25
Total:				167
Source: Election Commission of India[6]

Results

The SDF went from strength to strength and this time won even the single seat that had eluded them in 2004. With a clean sweep of all 32 seats in the state, Chamling was sworn in for his fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister by Governor B.P. Singh at the Gangtok Raj Bhawan on May 20, 2009. This Government included Neeru Sewa and Tilu Gurung who became the first ever women Cabinet ministers in Sikkim.

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Sikkim Democratic Front	165,991	65.91	32	+1
	Indian National Congress	69,612	27.64	0	–1
	Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad	5,516	2.19	0	0
	Sikkim Gorkha Prajatantrik Party	2,909	1.16	0	New
	Bharatiya Janata Party	1,966	0.78	0	0
	Nationalist Congress Party	1,065	0.42	0	New
	Sikkim Jan-Ekta Party	497	0.20	0	New
	Communist Party of India (Marxist)	272	0.11	0	0
	Independents	4,023	1.60	0	0
Total		251,851	100.00	32	0
Valid votes		251,851	99.65
Invalid/blank votes		885	0.35
Total votes		252,736	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		300,584	84.08
Source: CEO Sikkim

Results by constituency

• Winner, runner-up, voter turnout, and victory margin in every constituency^[7]

Assembly Constituency		Turnout	Winner					Runner Up					Margin
#k	Names	%	Candidate	Party		Votes	%	Candidate	Party		Votes	%
1	Yoksam–Tashiding	86.94%	Dawcho Lepcha		SDF	5,909	71.75%	Aden Tshering Lepcha		INC	1,666	20.23%	4,243
2	Yangthang	85.99%	Prem Lall Subba		SDF	5,770	73.19%	Depan Hang Limbu		INC	1,545	19.6%	4,225
3	Maneybong–Dentam	86.75%	Chandra Maya Subba		SDF	6,252	71.99%	Laxuman Gurung		INC	1,899	21.87%	4,353
4	Gyalshing–Barnyak	84.32%	Man Bahadur Dahal		SDF	4,967	68.13%	Youa Raj Rai		INC	1,557	21.36%	3,410
5	Rinchenpong	86.96%	Dawa Norbu Takarpa		SDF	6,438	72.69%	Pema Kinzang Bhutia		INC	2,145	24.22%	4,293
6	Daramdin	84.83%	Tenzi Sherpa		SDF	6,507	68.97%	Pem Nuri Sherpa		INC	1,807	19.15%	4,700
7	Soreng–Chakung	84.62%	Ram Bahadur Subba		SDF	6,497	66.5%	Nar Bahadur Bhandari		INC	2,378	24.34%	4,119
8	Salghari–Zoom	84.62%	Madan Cintury		SDF	4,437	65.14%	Janga Bir Darnal		INC	2,139	31.4%	2,298
9	Barfung	85.78%	Sonam Gyatso Bhutia		SDF	6,049	70.35%	Lobzang Bhutia		INC	2,197	25.55%	3,852
10	Poklok–Kamrang	86.32%	Pawan Kumar Chamling		SDF	7,379	80.68%	Purna Kumari Rai		INC	1,423	15.56%	5,956
11	Namchi–Singhithang	76.84%	Pawan Kumar Chamling		SDF	5,653	80.97%	Khush Bahadur Rai		INC	1,009	14.45%	4,644
12	Melli	83.83%	Tulshi Devi Rai		SDF	6,307	67.48%	Dil Kri. Chhetri		INC	2,454	26.25%	3,853
13	Namthang–Rateypani	82.7%	Tilu Gurung		SDF	5,988	65.76%	Suk Bahadur Tamang		INC	2,777	30.5%	3,211
14	Temi–Namphing	84.96%	Bedu Singh Panth		SDF	4,577	52.14%	Lalit Sharma		INC	2,837	32.32%	1,740
15	Rangang–Yangang	85.44%	Chandra Bdr Karki		SDF	5,558	68.24%	Avinash Yakha		INC	2,361	28.99%	3,197
16	Tumin–Lingee	84.9%	Ugyen Tshering Gyatso Bhutia		SDF	5,026	55.33%	Phuchung Bhutia		INC	3,702	40.75%	1,324
17	Khamdong–Singtam	84.24%	Am Prasad Sharma		SDF	4,298	56.37%	Nar Bahadur Bhandari		INC	3,032	39.76%	1,266
18	West Pendam	82.94%	Neeru Sewa		SDF	4,151	53.53%	Jagdish Cintury		INC	3,088	39.82%	1,063
19	Rhenock	84.97%	Bhim Prasad Dhungel		SDF	5,611	53.72%	Kedar Nath Sharma		INC	4,168	39.9%	1,443
20	Chujachen	83.92%	Puran Kumar Gurung		SDF	8,077	74.35%	Harka Raj Gurung		INC	2,114	19.46%	5,963
21	Gnathang–Machong	85.78%	L.M. Lepcha		SDF	4,077	58.59%	Chhopel Dzongpo Bhutia		SHRP	1,677	24.1%	2,400
22	Namchaybong	86.49%	Bek Bahadur Rai		SDF	5,877	63.37%	Em Prasad Sharma		INC	2,954	31.85%	2,923
23	Shyari	81.51%	Karma Tempo Namgyal Gyaltsen		SDF	5,034	63.15%	Kunga Nima Lepcha		INC	2,753	34.54%	2,281
24	Martam–Rumtek	85.29%	Menlom Lepcha		SDF	6,392	64.04%	Rinzing Namgyal		INC	3,027	30.33%	3,365
25	Upper Tadong	78.07%	Dil Bahadur Thapa		SDF	3,148	56.%	Arun Kumar Basnet		INC	2,105	37.45%	1,043
26	Arithang	73.65%	Narendra Kumar Pradhan		SDF	3,320	60.95%	Bharat Basnett		INC	1,865	34.24%	1,455
27	Gangtok	70.38%	Dorjee Namgyal Bhutia		SDF	3,506	61.18%	Tshering Gyatso Kaleon		INC	1,928	33.64%	1,578
28	Upper Burtuk	82.48%	Prem Singh Tamang		SDF	5,908	78.63%	Arun Kumar Rai		INC	1,345	17.9%	4,563
29	Kabi–Lungchok	85.36%	Thenlay Tshering Bhutia		SDF	4,823	64.46%	Ugen Nedup Bhutia		INC	2,659	35.54%	2,164
30	Djongu	89.79%	Sonam Gyatso Lepcha		SDF	4,756	79.97%	Norden Tshering Lepcha		INC	819	13.77%	3,937
31	Lachen–Mangan	89.48%	Tshering Wangdi Lepcha		SDF	2,719	53.3%	Anil Lachenpa		INC	1,940	38.03%	779
32	Sangha	64.75%	Phetook Tshering Bhutia		SDF	980	49.49%	Tshering Lama		INC	925	46.72%	55

See also

• State Assembly elections in India, 2009
• Indian general election in Sikkim, 2009
• Assembly election results of Sikkim

References

1. SDF is being marked as part of UPA for the purpose of this Infobox since they provide support to the UPA Government at the centre. However, they are not officially part of the UPA and did not fight the Sikkim election alongside the UPA "All my State wants is justice: Chamling". The Hindu. 20 May 2009. Archived from the original on 24 May 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
2. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1994 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
3. "Statistical Report on General Election, 1999 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
4. Dam, Marcus (21 May 2009). "Will strive to remove urban, rural disparities: Chamling". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2004. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
5. "General Elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim" (PDF). Election Commission of India. 2 March 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2009. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
6. "Statistical Report on General Election, 2009 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim" (PDF). eci.nic.in. Election Commission of India. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2014.
7. "Statistical Report on General Election, 2009 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2024.