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On Friday, BJP candidate Dorjee Tshering Lepcha secured an uncontested victory in the Rajya Sabha with support from the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM). Despite the successful election, the Sikkim state BJP president, D.R. Thapa, openly criticized the SKM, asserting that they “had not fulfilled many of its election promises.”
Lepcha was elected to represent the solitary Sikkim seat in the Rajya Sabha, and Lalit Kumar Gurung, the returning officer, presented him with the election certificate.
In an interview with The Telegraph on Friday, Thapa did not hold back in expressing his dissatisfaction with the performance of the SKM government. He highlighted the SKM’s failure to fulfill promises related to issues such as unemployment, corruption, Limbu/Tamang seat reservation, and tribal status.
When questioned about the apparent criticism of the SKM, which supported the BJP candidate on the same day of Lepcha’s election, Thapa defended his stance, stating, “A fact remains a fact. Also, the (general) development (of the state) has not occurred as desired in the last four years.”
In the 2019 Sikkim Assembly election, the BJP had no success. However, the BJP’s fortunes changed as 10 Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) MLAs, including Lepcha, joined the BJP after the elections. In subsequent bypolls, the BJP secured two more seats with SKM’s support, bringing their tally to 12. The SKM, in power, holds 19 seats in the 32-member Sikkim Assembly, while the SDF now has a single MLA in its party president and former Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling.
Thapa refrained from confirming whether his party would form an alliance with the SKM in the near future elections. However, he indicated that the present alliance might continue for the upcoming Assembly election, stating, “It is too premature to talk on this issue.”
Furthermore, Thapa emphasized the BJP’s capability to govern, not just in Sikkim but globally, claiming that the people in Sikkim trust the BJP as the party that can deliver.
The Sikkim Assembly elections, anticipated to coincide with the Lok Sabha polls, are expected to be closely contested. Jacob Khaling, political secretary to Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) and spokesperson for the SKM, was not immediately reachable for comments.