Sikkim Congress to Boycott Bye-Polls after ECI Gives Nod to PS Golay's Candidature

Gangtok, October 1, 2019:

Sikkim Congress has decided to boycott the ensuing bye-polls in the State after the Election Commission of India gave its nod to Chief Minister PS Golay to contest the upcoming polls.

It is to be mentioned that Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, aka PS Golay, has received a major relief from the Election Commission of India (ECI), allowing him to contest in the upcoming state elections.

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Supporting the Sikkim Congress' move, AICC general secretary, Luizinho Falerio took to his social media platform, and tweeted, “The EC's order of reducing #Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s disqualification period to one year instead of six years, without him having appealed in HC or SC, is unconstitutional. This is nothing but making a mockery out of law and order.”

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) had defeated the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) in the Assembly elections in April this year, following which, Tamang was appointed as the CM on May 27. He needed to be elected within six months of assuming office.

The ECI’s decision to allow him to contest comes as a relief to the CM as, without it, he would have had to resign from the chief ministerial post. Earlier, Tamang was barred from the upcoming elections after he was found guilty of misappropriation of funds during his term as Minister of animal husbandry during 1996-97.

He was convicted in the corruption case and jailed for a year in 2017.

Tamang had appealed the ECI to waive off the period of disqualification, which was supposed to end on August 10, 2024. He had requested the waiver under Section 11 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

ECI, on the basis of the CM’s request, reduced the period and according to that, Tamang’s disqualification ended on September 10.

ECI’s decision has granted Tamang enough time to contest the elections before the deadline ends.

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For the bye-elections, to be held on October 21, SKM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have joined hands. The BJP plans to contest two seats and Tamang will be contesting from the one allotted to his party, SKM.

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