Prem Singh Tamang stakes claim to form next Sikkim govt after sweeping polls

Gangtok, June 2 (IANS) The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has staked claim to form the next government after it swept the state assembly polls by winning 31 out of 32 seats.

The Chief of SKM and incumbent Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang met the Governor and staked claims to form the next government.

Tamang fought the Assembly polls from two seats and won both. His wife Krishna Kumari Rai also won the polls by defeating the opposition candidate Bimal Rai from the Namchi-Singhithang assembly segment.

Krishna Kumari Rai received 7907 votes winning the polls by a margin of 5,302 votes.

The leading opposition party in the state Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) won only one constituency this time. BJP, Congress and Citizen Action Party-Sikkim (CAP-S) who fought polls separately failed to open their accounts.

Five-time former Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Kumar Chamling also lost the elections. He was looking to win a record ninth-term win from the Poklok-Kamrang assembly constituency.

Elections in Sikkim were held on April 19 and the counting of votes began at 6 AM on Saturday.

In the 2019 assembly polls, SKM won 17 seats narrowly defeating the opposition party SDF.

–IANS

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