Petitions By 12 MLAs Regarding Their New Political Affiliation Being Examined: Speaker L.B. Das

Speaker L.B. Das on Thursday well-read the Assembly that two separate petitions are received by him from 12 MLAs concerning shifting of their political affiliation from Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) to alternative political parties.

Ten SDF MLAs had submitted in form of the appropriate petition that they need left SDF and joined the BJP. 2 additional SDF legislators – Em Prasad Sharma and G.T. Dhungel conjointly petitioned the Speaker that they have shifted from SDF to the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM).

These 12 legislators had been elected from SDF tickets throughout the 2019 Assembly elections command earlier this year. They before long left their original party and opted to join BJP and SKM severally.

However, a dozen MLAs are still recognized as members of the SDF legislative assembly party within the House on technical grounds and incomplete documentation. This was evident throughout the last Assembly session on Nov 4 once L.B. Das directed them to submit relevant documents authenticating their new political affiliations before following Assembly session.

The Speaker well-read the House that the 12 MLAs had submitted their petitions to him on Wednesday with required documents concerning their new political affiliation. The petitions are being examined and into account, orders are notified within the House after all doubts are cleared, he said.

Seven MLAs from the then opposition SKM party had changed to the then ruling SDF party. The then Speaker of the 9th Assembly was approached in 2018 with a petition seeking their disqualification below the relevant Constitutional provisions. The petition carried over to the 10th Assembly when the 2019 Assembly elections and reached the table of Speaker Das.

In his order todays, Das pointed out that the 9^th Sikkim Legislative Assembly, constituted on May 23, 2014, stood dissolved on May 27, 2019 as per associate order issued by Raj Bhawan.

Chief Minister P.S. Golay, throughout the session, placed the First Supplementary Demand for Grants for 2019-20. The House conjointly mourned the demises of former MLAs T.M. Rai and I.B. Rai. All the members determined a two-minute silence as a mark of relevance the departed souls.

The obituary reference was participated by Chief Minister P.S. Golay, MLA D.T. Lepcha and Speaker L.B. Das.

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