Sikkim: SKM-BJP Alliance Dissolved; Parties to Contest Independently

GANGTOK: The highly anticipated alliance between the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) foe the upcoming Sikkim assembly elections has been officially canceled.

The development was confirmed by BJP state spokesperson Passang Sherpa.

State BJP president DR Thapa announced that the party has decided to run the assembly elections on its own, without forming an alliance.

The Sikkim BJP delegation is expected to come back to the state on March 23. They plan to choose candidates for all the seats in the state assembly and the single Lok Sabha constituency in Sikkim.

Moreover, Sikkim BJP leader DR Thapa revealed that they will introduce some of their party’s candidates on Saturday night, with the rest of the name scheduled to be announced on March 24.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the revised dates for the counting of votes in Sikkim

The counting of votes in the state was scheduled for June 4 which has now been rescheduled to June 2.

As per a notification, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold elections for the Legislative Assemblies of Sikkim before the current terms end.

It further mentioned that this is based on the authority granted under Article 324 of the Indian Constitution and Section 15 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951. The terms of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly is set to expire on June 2, 2024.

Additionally, the voting in Sikkim will take place in the first phase on April 19.

The candidates will have to file their nomination papers by March 27, with the scrutiny of nominations set for March 28.

The deadline for the withdrawal of candidature is scheduled for March 30.

Addressing a press conference to announce the dates of Lok Sabha elections and assembly polls to four states, Rajiv Kumar said there will be 10.5 lakh polling stations and 1.5 crore polling officials and security staff will be deployed to conduct the elections in the world’s largest democracy.

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