The Sikkim Democratic Front and the

Politics of Popular Mobilisation in Sikkim

(l.993·2004)

Thesis Submitted for the Award of Doctor of Philosophy

(Arts) Under the University of North Bengal

Submitted By
Genevive Syangbo
2010

Under the Supervision of

Dr. ARUN KANTI JANA
Department of Political Science
University of North Bengal
Raja Rammohanpur
Darjeeling-734023
2020
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 Contents

Page No.

Acknowledgement

Abbreviations

Glossary

Introduction 1

Chapter I
SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT: ORIGINS AND ITS INITIAL
SUCCESS 37

Section I

Political Developments in Sikkim (1947-1994) 37

Section II

Emergence of the Sikkim Sang ram Parishad 50

Section III

The Initial Success of the Sikkim Democratic Front 60

Chapter II

THE ELECTORAL PROMISES AND POPULISM OF THE SIKKIM

DEMOCRATIC FRONT 73

Section I

Electoral Promises of the Sikkim Democratic Front 73

Section II

Electoral Populism 113

Chapter III
ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THE SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT (SDF)
GOVERNMENT 1994-2004 130

The Agricultural Sector 130

The Industrial Sector 139

Tourism 152

Policies of Social Welfare 159

Chapter IV
DEMOCRACY IN SIKKIM UNDER SDF REGIME 170
Section I

Restoration of Democracy under SDF Government 172

Section II

"Janta Ko Rajme Jantai Raja" 187

Section III

Democratic Decentralisation 201

Section IV

The SDF Government and Substantive Democracy in Sikkim 218

Chapter V
MOBILISATION OF THE SUPPORTER'S AND THE ELECTORAL BASE
OF THE SDF IN THE STATE I 226
Section I

The People in Sikkim 228

Section II

Support Base of the Party (SDF) in Damthang Constituency of

South District 243

Chapter VI
MOBILISATION OF THE SUPPORTER'S AND THE ELECTORAL BASE
OF THE SDF IN THE STATE II 259
Section I

Geyzing Constituency: West District 259

Section - II

Lachen Mangshila Constituency in North District 271

Section -III

Gangtok Constituency -East District 284

Section IV

Party and the Panchayat Elections 294

Section V

Support Base of the Party in the State: An Analysis 302

Conclusion 307

Bibliography 347

Annexure I

Schedule: Party Supporters/Voters & Party Activists/Members I

.:-

Annexure II

SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT: Constitution III

Annexure III

12th LOK SABHA ELECTION MANIFESTO (SDF)-1998 12th LOK

SABHA ELECTION MANIFESTO (SDF)-1998 XI

Annexure IV

Panchayat Manifesto 2002 XIV

Annexure V

MISSION & AMBITIONS

14th LOK SABHA AND 7th ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS, 2004 XXV

Annexul"e VI
Aclde.ndumj Cotti~etldum xxxvm
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The study on "the Sikkim Democratic Front and the Politics of

Popular Mobilisation in Sikkim" is on the role of a regional political
party in the politics of Sikkim. It covers the period from 1979 to
2004 and more particularly the period after the SDF came to
power. For the study to materialise I had to depend on several
people without whose support I could not have completed my
work.

First and foremost I gratefully acknowledge my profound sense of

gratitude to my Supervisor, Dr. Arun Kanti lana, Reader,
Department of Political Science for being my teacher, guide and
above all the source of inspiration. He had to spare his valuable
time out of his busy academic and family schedule for many years.
The study would not have been accomplished without his sincere
dedication and guidance. I am fortunate to have a teacher/guide
like him.

Secondly, I am very grateful to my parents and all my family

members for their love and constant moral support, most
importantly my husband Mr. Karma Samten Bhutia for being there
to help me and support me in all the difficult times of my life. My
grateful thanks to all my friends and colleagues who gave me
valuable suggestions and inputs to help me out in the course of my
study, especially Mr. B. L Khamdak, Mr. P.T Bhutia, Mr. Kunzang
Bhutia, Ms. Laxmi Rai, Ms. Rinzing Choden Bhutia, Ms. Shraddha
Rai, Ms. Kajal Pradhan, Ms. Sonam Choden Bhutia and Mr. Bikas
Karki. I extend my grateful thanks to Ms. Dona Rai and Ms.
Bindhiya Rai, who helped me in typing various chapters of my
study and Mr. Amit Paul for formating the material.

I
I acknowledge my thanks to my teachers in the Department of
Political Science, N.B.U and staff of the Central library, N.B.U,
Namchi Government College Library, Slkkim Express Press,
Various Panchayat Blocks, SDF Party Offices and State Institute for
Rural Development for the valuable assistance which they provided
during the course of my research work,

I shall be failing in my duty if I do not extend my thanks to Mrs.

Manita Mangar (ex- MlA) for her help and my sincere thanks to
the respondents of Damthang Constituency, Lachen Mangshila
Constituency, Geyzing Constituency and Gangtok Constituency,
without whose co-operation and support the study could not have
been completed.

At last, I express my sincere thanks to all my well-wishers.

~~"\<Q_ t<lk<fko.
( Genevive Syangbo)
•
 Abbreviations

AAYA Antyodaya Annadan Yojna

ADFWB Agriculture Department and Farmers' Welfare Board

APOC Argentina's Peranists Organisational Commitment

AS Annapurna Scheme

ASDFC All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee

BLC Block Level Committee

BPL Below Poverty Une

CBI Central Bureau of Investigation

CLC Constituency Level Committee

CPI Communist party of India

CPI (M) Communist party of India (Marxist)

css Centrally Sponsored Scheme

ewe Central Working Committee

DC District Committee

DCFH Development Commission For Handicrafts

DPC Denzong People's Chogpa

EAAY Extended Antyodaya Annadan Yojna

EPT Elakha Panchayat Tribunal

FIC Farmer Training Center

GFPF Government Food Preservation Factory

GPU Gram Panchayat Unit

HYV High Yeilding Variety

lAY Indira Awas Yojna

ICDP Integrated Cereals Development Programme

INC Indian National Congress

IPR Information and Public Relation

lAC Joint Action Committee

JP Janata party
LF Left Front

LL Lombard League

MBC Most Backward Class

MMAAY Mukhiya Mantri Antyodaya Yojna

MMKSA Mukhiya Mantri Khadya Suraksha Abhiyan

MLA Member of Legislative Assembly

MR Muster Roll

NCCC National Counter Corruption Commission

NF National Front

NGO Non- Governmental Organisation

NGP Nirmal Gram Puraskar

NH National Highway

NHPC National Hydel Project Corporation

NPDP National Pulses Development Programme

NREGAS National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

NSDP Net State Domestic Product

NWDPRA National Watershed Development Programme for Rain
fed Area

OBC Other Backward Class

OPDP Oilseeds Production Development Programme

osu Organisation of Sikkimese Unity

PA Panchayat Assistance

PAC Press Accreditation Committee

PMGSY Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna

PSI Italian Socialist Party

PSU Public Sector Undertaking

RMDD Rural Management Development Department

RS Rising Sun

RSP Revolutionary Socialist Party

RWW Rangit Water World

SABCCO Sikkim Scheduled Caste Scheduled Tribe and Other

Backward Classes Corporation

SC Scheduled Caste

SCFBC Sikkim Commission For Backward Classes Ltd.

SDF Sikkim Democratic Front

SGP Sikkim Gorkha Prajatantrik

SIBlAC Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee

SICON Sikkim Consultancy Services

SIDICO Sikkim Industrial Development And Investment

Corporation

S!MFED Sikkim Marketing Federation

S!RD State Institute for Rural Development

SIS! Small Industries Services Institute

SHRC State Human Rights Commission

SHRP Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad

SNAC Sikkimese Nepali Apex Committee

SPIL Sikkim Precision Industries Ltd

ST Schedule Tribe

SPC Sikkim Prajatantra Congress

SPCC State Pradesh Congress Committee

SSP Sikkim Sangram Parishad

su Sikkim United

SUDA Sikkim United Democratic Alliance

swc State Women Commission

TDC Tourism Development Corporation

TRT Thai Rak Thai

TTF Tourism and Travel Fair

UN !DO United Nations Industrial Development Organisation

VLW Village Level Worker

 Glossary

Chogyal: Dharma Raja or the king of Sikkim which belonged to

the Namgyal dynasty who ruled Sikkim from 1962 to 1974.

Chutimpa: Representative of the religious sect who are also

called Lama (monk)

Dzongu: Place of Lepchas, the primitive tribe in North Sikkim

Dada parcha: Document related to landed property in Sikkim.

Dhurikhazana: Rents paid by the Sikkimese people for their

dwelling space.

Gram Sewak: Advisor to the farmers.

Gyeme: Council of village elders in the Dzumsa system in north

Sikkim.

Jharlangi: Exploitation of wages by the contractors (Kazi's) from

the Porters who carried transport from Sikkim to Tibet. The Porters
were paid wages by the Britisher's which the Contractors kept for
themselves.

Kalobhari: A local name given to the black load containing arms

and ammunitions to be carried to Tibet for the Britisher's
through Sikkim.

Karbari: Class of people below the Zamindar's who collected the

rents for the Zamindar's. These people were also called the
mandals.

Kazi: Aristocrates during the Chogyal rule in Sikkim.

Kuruwa: Means a long await for transport of kalobhari from

Sikkim to Tibet. During such wait they survived on their own
supplies, this process of long waiting is called Kuruwa.
Kutiyadars: Landless labourers who cultivate land of the
landholders and pay the rent according to the agreement made
between the owner and the labourers.

Khyomee: The head of Gyeme which is a Council of Village

elders in Dzumsa system in North Sikkim.
Sangha: Monks belonging to different monastries of Sikkim
whose seat is reserved in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

Sunakhari: A species of noble orchid found in Sikkim.

Smrti Vans: Area where plantations can be done in memory of

their dear and near ones.

Theki-bethi: Means the gifts presented to the Zamlndar's and

middle Man by the farmers during the festive occasion.

Tsang: Tsongs are the people belonging to the Limboo

Community.

Yuma Samyo: Religion of the Limboos which is one of the ethnic

groups of Sikkim. They have their own ways of performing rituals,
healing diseases and illness which is distinct from other religion in
Sikkim.

Pipon: The highest office bearers in the administrative hierarchy

and are directly elected by the village community. It is prevalent in
Lachen and Lachung of North Sikkim.
Gyapon: The next in the administrative hierarchy. They are also
elected Body in the Dzumsa system.

Thimpeon: Are the jury members elected during the time of

disputes or settlement of cases.

Mong-Khlm or Dzumsa house: Is the place where people meet

to discuss their problem or to transact important business of the
welfare of the community.
 Introduction
The study entitled "The Sikkim Democratic Front and the Politics of
Popular Mobilisation in Sikkim" is on the role of a regional political
party in the politics of Sikkim. It covers the period from 1993 to
2004 and more particularly after the Sikkim Democratic Front
(hereafter SDF) came to power in December 1994. The study
focuses on the downfall of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (hereafter
SSP) which ruled Sikkim for more than a decade, the origin of SDF
and the strategies it had employed in order to come to power and
maintain power. The central focus of the study is the mobilising
strategies adopted by the party and its support base throughout
the state. The study on the support base of the party is based on
the field survey conducted in four constituencies of four different
districts in Sikkim. The study we will see later brings out an
interesting development on electoral populism in Sikkim. The
entire thesis is divided into six chapters plus the introduction and
the conclusion. The chapters are further divided into several
sections.

Sikkim is a tiny state. Initially it was a protectorate of India

and has a population of about 5,40,493 as per the last census
comprising of Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia and other tribes and
communities. In May 1974, the Sikkim State Congress decided to
end the monarchical rule in Sikkim. The Chogyal was declared the
constitutional head when the Sikkim Assembly passed the
Government of Sikkim Act 1974 for providing responsible
government in Sikkim. The 35th Amendment Act 1974 made
Sikkim an Associate state of India. Very shortly this Associate
state was merged with the Indian Union. The Indian Parliament
passed the 36th Amendment Act on May 16, 1975 making Sikkim
the zznd state of Indian Union.

Page [1
 Regional political parties in India have played a significant
role in the democratic process in every state. In Sikkim the
democratic movement began with the emergence of political
parties. Political development and the emergence of party-politics
in Sikkim can be traced back to the 1940s. Under the direct impact
of the Indian National Congress, Sikkim's State Congress under
the leadership of Tashi Tshering, the President and C. D. Rai the
General Secretary was formed in December 1947 and this was the
first organised political party in the state. Demands like abolitions
of landlordism, formation of an interim government and accession
of Sikkim to the Indian Union were put forward by the party in
1947. As a new political party in 1960, the Sikkim National
Congress also had its demands like responsible government,
written constitution for Sikkim and Universal Adult Franchise based
on joint electorate. October 1972 saw the emergence of Sikkim
Janata Congress with the merger of Sikkim State Congress and the
Sikkim Janata Party. With the emergence and growth of these
political parties, a new turning point took place in the political
development of Sikkim with the implantation of democracy and
merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union in May 16, 1975.

The first 32 members Assembly election which was held in

April 1974 witnessed the Sikkim Congress securing 31 seats while
the National Party securing only one seat. Kazi Lhendup Dorjee
was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Sikkim from the Sikkim
Congress Party. On 17'" August, the Chief Minister Kazi Lendup
Dorjee and his ministers resigned due to failure of constitutional
machinery in the state. On August 18, 1979, Sikkim came under
Presidential Rule following the dissolution of the State Assembly.
On 12'" October, 1979 the Second Assembly Elections were held
which is considered as the first democratic election in the state. It
is considered to be the first democratic election in the state

Page \2
because since its merger with the Indian Union, the Assembly
election of 1979 was for the first election conducted directly under
the supervision and guidelines of the Election Commission of India
and the Indian Laws. N. B. Bhandari with his party, Sikkim Janata
Party swept the poll and was sworn in as the second Chief Minister
of the state. Bhandari's Sikkim Pradesh merged with the Congress
(I), which led to the formation of the Sikkim Congress (I) in 1980.
More than defection politics it was a regional adaptation of a
national party. Bhandari was dismissed in May 1984 by the
Governor of Sikkim H. J. Taloyarkhan under article 164 (1) of the
Constitution of India stating that "Bhandari ceased to command his
pleasure". He appointed under the same article in his pleasure B.
B. Gurung from Congress (I) who became the third Chief Minister
of Sikkim but the government survived for just 13 days. As a
result of the failure of the constitutional machinery Sikkim was
once again brought under Presidential Rule for the second time in
May 1984. Bhandari left the Congress (I) and founded a new
regional political party, Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) in 1984. In
the third state Assembly election held in March 11, 1985 Bhandari
returned to power with the new regional political party with a
symbol of an elephant, ending 10 months of Presidents Rule,
securing 30 out of a total of 32 Assembly seats. Political parties
like Congress (I), lanata Party, CPI, CPI (M) and two regional
parties viz., Sikkim Sangram Parishad and Sikkim Prajatantra
Congress, an unregistered political party in the poll alliance with
Himali Congress and the Gorkha League and a number of
independent candidates contested the elections (Chabra, 1985). In
the meantime R. C. Poudyal, President of Rising Sun Party
declared to contest elections in alliance with the National Front and
the Left Front. In the Lok Sabha Election of June 14, 1991, the CPI
(M) entered the elections for the first time in Sikkim. The poll was

Page 13
swept over by the SSP but Bhandari could not continue in power
for long. In early 1990's, the political parties like State Pradesh
Congress Committee charged Nar Bahadur Bhandari with anti-
party activities. The corruption charges and dissidence within the
party led to fractions in the party.

According to press reports the 32 SSP MLAs were divided

into three main groups- one led by Bhandari with 12 members, the
second led by Pawan Chamling with 12 members and the third
group was led by N. Chamla Tshering with 8 members. After the
split in the party Bhandari could not continue in office any further.
The government was formed under the Chief Ministership of
Sanchaman Limboo on 18 May, 1994, which lasted only for 6
months. It is under these conditions the SDF was formed by Pawan
Chamling on March 4'" , 1993 with the aim of establishing real
democracy and safeguarding the rights and interests of the
Sikkimese people (SDF, Election Manifesto 1994). Following
Chamling's expulsion from the Cabinet and then from the party 19
MLAs defected from the SSP.

Early 90's witnessed a great turmoil in the politics of Sikkim.

The era of one man politics and leadership came to an end and
post-1993 democratic political electoral process brought average
leaders on the political scene of Sikkim. The former Chief Minister
Nar Bahadur Bhandari faced opposition from his own ministry.
Pawan Chamling stood as a lone opposition to Bhandari's
government in the Assembly. Many political organisations aroused
against the ruling government. The government was criticised for
corruption charges and anti-party activities which led to the
breakup in the party. Many leaders left the party and joined the
other political groups in the state. The new government formed
under Sanchaman Limboo could not last long. With the failure of

Page 14
the new government under Sanchaman Limboo there was political
instability in the state. There was a need for a fresh election in the
state and bring stability in the state government.

It is with the Fourth Assembly election that was held in

December 1994, SDF attains an absolute majority and comes to
power with Pawan K. Cham ling as the new Chief Minister of Sikkim
dislodging Bhandari's SSP. Defections in political parties could be
seen, 6 SSP MLA's joined the SDF, 9 Congress (I) leaders joined
the SSP. In the 1996 Lok Sabha elections Sikkim Democratic Front
candidates secured a landslide victory against one time political
supremo N. B. Bhandari. 1997 saw the emergence of a new
political party Sikkim Ekta Manch (SEM) led by L. P. Tiwari. In the
Lok Sabha poll of 1998, interesting developments took place in
state politics. The Congress (I), the earlier ally of SDF became an
opponent of the party. SDF won the election despite the Congress
(I) getting the support from Sikkim Ekta Manch (SEM), SSP and
the Sikkim National Front. More defections were to be seen in
1999. The SSP general secretary, K. N. Upreti and other dissidents
of SSP joined the Congress (I). We also see second coming of
R. C. Poudyal, President of the Rising Sun Party after 14 years who
had kept away from politics for many years.

On October 16, 1999, the SDF comes to power for the second
time in the state. The Sikkim Democratic Front is in power since
1994 and has dominated state politics for the past 16 years. In the
state Assembly election of May 2004 the SDF swept over by
securing all the 32 seats in the state. The major opposition was
posed by the Congress (I) under the leadership of N.B. Bhandari.
SSP lost its identity when it formally merged with the Congress (I)
in 2001.

Page IS
Research Problem

From 1979 to 1993, Sikkim politics was almost dominated by Nar

Bahadur and his party. Bhandari formed the government in 1979
under Sikkim Janata Parishad and in 1984 formed another political
Party Sikkim Sangram Parishad which contested the election of
1985. Looking at the election results Bhandari won the Assembly
elections of 1979, 1985 and 1989, the new political party of N.B.
Bhandari secured full majority. Bhandari in his fourteen years of
rule emerged to be an uncrowned monarch of Sikkim. Political
parties like the Congress (!), lanata Party, CP!, CPI (M), Sikkim
Prajantantra Congress (SPC) in alliance with Himali Congress and
Gorkha League existed. Gorkha League which was an unregistered
party contested the elections but these parties could not make any
dent in the politics of Sikkim in electoral terms. In the 1990's
various political parties and ethnic groups like, the Citizens for
Democracy (CFD), the Denzong People's Chagpa (DPC), the Rising
Sun (RS) wanted the formation of a United Front and an
alternative to the ruling SSP but could not succeed.

1993 marked the birth of the SDF which is an important

landmark in the history of Sikkim's politics. It was the lone
opposition party to the ruling SSP. After its birth in 1993, SDF won
all the assembly elections of 19g4, 1g99 and 2004 and
parliamentary elections of 1996, 1998 and 2004 in the state. But
in Sikkim, after the decline of the SSP there arose again the
dominance of one party and this one party dominance had been
established by the SDF. Many defections were seen among the
political parties in the state. There was a second coming of the
Rising Sun Party under R. C. Poudyal after fourteen years of
retreat. In all the parliamentary elections in the state, the
candidate from the SDF won all the elections. Following its success

Page ]6
since 1994, the SDF got re-elected for the third time in May, 2004.
Hence since its birth, the SDF has been able to maintain its hold
over Sikkim for the past ten years.

Analysing the facts above, several general questions arise.

What are the reasons behind the emergence of SDF? What are the
principal reasons behind the domination of one party for .about
more than a decade in Sikkim? Why a regional political party like
the SDF has been able to win consecutive elections in the state
legislative assembly? Why there has been almost a non-existent of
opposition, regional as well as national in Sikkim? How is the SDF
able to maintain its domination in state politics? What strategies
the SDF has adopted for the maintenance of its domination in the
state?

Research Questions

Many general questions have been identified in the present study

but the central focus is on the specific questions which are
answered in different chapters. In this study we have tried to
answer the following questions:

a) What were the objective conditions that gave birth to the

Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and contributed to its initial
success in Sikkim?
b) What are the strategies which the party has adopted for
winning elections since 1994 and maintaining its dominance
in the politics of the state? Has electoral Populism been a
part of its strategy?
c) Which are the classes, castes and communities that support
the party? In other words what is the support base of the
party in the state and how do the party mobilise them?

Page 17
 d) What kind of economic policies the SDF has pursued since
coming to political power in 1994?
e) What form of governance it has been able to provide in the
state since 1994? How far the party has been successful in
realising its primary objective of 'Real Democracy' and 'Janta
Ko Rajma Jantai Raja' (In a popular regime people are
sovereign)?

Literature Review

Even though there are a good number of studies on Sikkim but we

will see that these studies hardly answer the questions raised
above. Hence let us review the available literature on Sikkim and
point out the research gaps. Works on Sikkim are not however
many. The available literature may be grouped into two main
categories but it can be grouped also in several sub-categories.
The first kind deals with general issues on Sikkim like, historical
and political developments in Sikkim since independence. The
second category of literature evaluates the emergence and growth
of regional political parties and development of party politics in
Sikkim. The works of Basnet (1974), Rao (1978), Das (1983),
Sengupta (1985), Bhadra (1992), Lama (1994) and Chakravarti
(2003) deals with the politics in Sikkim in General since its birth.
The works of Kazi (1993), Sharma (1996), Gaunley (2002) and
Bali (2003) falls within the other category of literature which deals
with party-politics in Sikkim. The works of Sinha (1975),
Bhattacharya (1981), Dasgupta (1992), Thapa (2002) and Kharel
(2002) deal with the socio economic aspects of Sikkim. Singh
(1985), A. Bhattacharya (1988), Datta (1991), Wanchuck (2007)
and Subba (2008) deals with the socio cultural aspects of Sikkim.
Baldev, Srilekha and Agnihotri (1995) deal with the educational
status in Sikkim.

Page \8
 Rishley's book "The Gazetteer of Sikkim" (1894) discusses
the history of Sikkim in detail. In the first part of the book he
discusses the physical features of the state, British intervention
and the treaties signed by Sikkim. Rishley's concern was on British
policy towards the East Himalayan States like Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal
and Sikkim. The next part of the book focuses on the geographical
position and description. The boundaries and the area of Sikkim is
discussed at full length. The book also traces the rulers of Sikkim
and the origins of the early Tibetan Kings with short descriptions of
their reigns, population, tribes and chief families of Sikkim,
nomenclature of places, old laws of Sikkim and marriage customs.
It also gives full account of the geological and mineral resources
such as copper, iron, lime and their locations in Sikkim.
Agricultural system, kinds of cultivation vegetation including
flowering plants and ferns, orchids, bamboos, rhododendrons,
primulas, herbaceous, plants, trees and alpine zone of Sikkim,
species of butterflies, reptiles, birds and mammals found In the
different regions of Sikkim. It also gives a general account on
Lamaism as the state religion of Sikkim, origin of Buddhism and its
spread in India and outside, its extension to Tibet, the Lamaic
sects and introduction of Lamaism in Sikkim. The next part of the
book focus on a general description of Sikkim Monastries, their
kinds and location, monkhood, monastic routine as a village priest
and some magic rites and charms. The focus is little on the
political development of Sikkim. The history section of the book
consists of just the origins of the kings of Sikkim and the history of
laws.

A. C. Sinha's "Politics of Sikkim: A Sociological Study" (1975)

provides an analysis of political developments In Sikkim. It
contains three parts. Part one studies the historical evolution of
the significant social forces active during the pre-merger period in

Page !9
Sikkim. It tries to highlight how Lamaism and its tradition of
Tibetan feudalism got accommodated in the kingship in Sikkim.
This gave monarchy a unique character in Sikkim which ruled
Sikkim for 333 years. Monarchy in Sikkim was more based on
Buddhism. In Part II the author identifies different sections of
society like the elite, the Kazi's, the ambitious pro-palace
bureaucrats, the Nepali political leaders and the youth Congress
Leaders. The youth Congress leaders were leading the various
social forces in Sikkim. This part of the book sheds more light on
the social background, economic status, political affiliation and
perception of various elite groups in Sikkim. Part Ill has four
chapters dealing with the political process and development in the
post- 1947 period, i.e. after Indian Independence. Sikkim politics
during that time was influenced by Indian Independence
movement. The interference by the elite class, pro-palace
bureaucrats, was more on the monarchical rule in Sikkim which
was resented by the common people. The democrats and the
common people did not favour this kind of political structure where
democratic participation in decision making was absent. However,
the book has certain limitations. Its study base is mostly
sociological. The political aspects, peoples' participation in the
political process, description on political institutions, policy
formulation, electoral behaviour and role of political organisations
are not covered in this book.

Basnet's (1974) book is on the Geography and Demography

of Sikkim. The entire work is divided into two parts. Part I
discusses the geography and demography of Sikkim and
conservation of the first Bhutia King of Sikkim in 1642. It also
deals with the Bhutanese and Gorkha invasion in i700 and 1740
respectively. The book presents a detailed account of the Treaty of
Sougali (1816) between British and Nepal and the Treaty of

Page\10
Titaliya (1817) between British and Sikkim. Part II reflects on the
emergence of political parties, agitation launched by different
political parties and sections of society and the intervention of the
Indian government in the political affairs of Sikkim. This part of the
book presents the first Panchayat election of 1950, the first Sikkim
Council election of 1953, allocation of seats in the council for
Bhutia- Lepcha, Tsongs (Lim boo), Scheduled Caste and Nepalese
in 1966. The author talks about the revolt against Monarchy and
the Zamindari system under the monarchy which resulted in the
implementation of democracy in Sikkim in 1975. But the book does
not deal with the political upheavals' in Sikkim after 1973.

Rao (1978) begins with the influence of India's

Independence on the democratic movement in Sikkim. He
discusses about the struggle of the people of Sikkim for a
democratic set up and also deals with the political development in
Sikkim in the pre-merger period. It highlights the internal intrigues
to embarrass India by siding with the feudal regime and
awakening of the political consciousness of the people of Sikkim
culminating in making modern Sikkim the 22nd state of India.
Chapter I of the book sheds light on the creation of Sikkim Council
after the first democratic election in 1953 which was based on
"Parity System" and formation of an Executive Council. The book
also reveals the signing of Tripartite Agreement between the
Chogyal of Sikkim, political parties of Sikkim and Government of
India on B'h May, 1973. It also gives a detailed account of the
Government of Sikkim Act 1974 and its provisions for the
formation of Assembly, Chief Executive, Council of Ministers,
Judiciary, status of Sikkim as an "Associate state" under the 35th
Amendment Act of the Indian constitution and the status of
Chogyal as the constitutional head. The book however remains
silent on the political development in the post merger period. The

P<1ge 111
author talks about the role played by the central government in
the merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union but fails to discuss
about the political developments after the merger.

B.S Das' (1983) book "The Sikkim Saga' is the book which
the research scholars working in Sikkim use as a reference. The
book makes a historical analysis on the reasons behind the
transformation of power from Monarchy to Democracy and merger
of Sikkim with the Indian Union. To him, the merger of Sikkim and
democratic elections in the state led to the emergence of political
parties (regional and national) and democratic decentralisation in
the state. The author tries to deal with questions like; was the
Merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union necessary? Was there
really a popular uprising against the Chogyal in 1973? He also tried
to study the role played by the central government in the merger
of Sikkim and the details of May 1973 Agreement between the
three political parties and the Chogyal of Sikkim and the
requirement of a democratic setup in the newly created state. The
book also tries to give the role of three great women; Indira
Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, Hope Cooke, the wife of
the Chogyal Palden Thendup Namgyal and Elisha Maria, the wife of
former Chief Minister of Sikkim Lt. L. D Kazi, in the political
development of Sikkim. However there are some limitations in his
work. The author failed to look at the political developments in
Sikkim after the merger.

Sengupta (1985) looks at the geo-political, economic and

social foundations, political dynamics, electoral process, role of
pressure groups and political parties and comments that the
changing trends in political dynamics, political parties and pressure
groups of the past and present led to the merger of Sikkim with
the Indian Union. He also traces the cross-current of ethnic, social

Page\12
and religious factors. He further argued that the purpose of the
study is to correlate political dynamics to the nature and functions
of the governmental organs, the legislature, the executive and the
judiciary. This book though gives much information about many
aspects however it fails to give a detail study on the political
aspects of Sikkim.

Amal Datta's (1991) book "Sikkim since Independence"

shows how a remote area like Sikkim leads towards modernisation.
Within a short span of time it could make developments in all
aspects -political process, social structure, economy, culture and
lifestyle. It sheds light on important questions like "how Sikkim
could bring rapid changes and development after it joins the
mainstream of Indian Union in 1975?" Sikkim became the 22''
state under Article 371 (F) and the 36'" Amendment Act of the
Indian Constitution. The first two chapters deal with the
educational system and social structure that existed in the pre-
merger period in Sikkim. The education system during the king's
rule was more monarchical than modern in character. To the
author the introduction of modern educational system is essential
among the new class and government servants to bring social
change. The book is also an analytical study on the role of modern
education among the emerging new class and the impact upon the
traditional societies and social structure in Sikkim. The book also
tries to focus on the social stratification and change in Sikkim after
the emergence of a new class. The author has talked much about
the social structure and the role of education in changing Sikkim
into a modern one but it does not give an account of the role of
political parties and political organiSations in bringing progressive
changes in Sikkim.

Page \13
 Manas DasGupta's (1992) book "Sikkim: Problems and
Prospects of Development" discusses the problems of the region-
Sikkim is facing and the measures initiated by the state and
central government for the proper development of Sikkim
especially after its merger with the Indian Union in 1975. The book
highlights some of the major issues and their solutions which are
helpful to the planners, administrators and researchers. Another
section of the book covers the population and urbanisation
covering Land Reforms and Development, land Revenue System,
Agriculture; Problems and Prospects 1 mixed farming in Sikkim,
Forest Management and non-cereal crops in Sikkim. The major
part of the book focuses on the economic sector basically
industries, natural resources, agriculture etc. The book however
leaves lot of unanswered questions related to rise of political
parties and the role played by these parties in Sikkim.

Kazi (1993) in 'Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide' says,

Democracy is a big word in Sikkim- in many ways bigger than in
any state of the Indian Union. For it was in the name of democracy
that a protectorate monarchy was abolished. His focus is on how
the system in Sikkim functioned in the last one and a half decades
leaving people of the strategic Himalayan border state completely
defenceless, insecure and exploited. He articulates in detail the
struggle of the people to live in a free and democratic atmosphere,
where they can live with respect and dignity and also preserve the
unique and distinct identity of Sikkim within the Union. The
problem with the book is that it discusses only the party politics of
Sikkim since 1979 to 1992.

Lama's (1994) edited book contains articles on different

topics like society, economy, environment and polity. Focussing on
the polity of Sikkim, an article by Chakravorty (1994) 'Government

Page\14
and Politics in Sikkim' analyses the development of party politics in
Sikkim in which he shows how though there are some structural
similarities between the politics and society in Sikkim and in other
states of the Indian Union but to him in many respects it is also
different from other states of the Indian Union. The work throws
light on the question, why a regional party like the SSP in a newly
emerged state has been able to win consecutive elections to State
Legislative Assemblies. To him the phenomenal feature of politics
in Sikkim is that opposition has been virtually non-existent in the
state unlike most of the states of the Indian Union. The edited
book of Lama however does not cover the political aspects of
Sikkim. There is only one chapter which deals with the government
and politics of Sikkim. The book does not provide much material
and information which can be used for further research.

Sharma (1996) in his 'Sikkim: Past and Present' (Sikkim Hijo

Dekhi Aaja Samma) provides a detailed account of the historical
developments in Sikkim. In his work Sharma gives a detailed
account on the monarchical set up in Sikkim and its working. He
discusses how the people were dissatisfied with the rule of Chogyal
and the exploitation and suppression by the Kazis, who were
Zamindar's during the kingship. In the second part of his work he
mainly focussed on the emergence of political parties in Slkkim like
the Janata Party, National Party, Congress (I), Sikkim Sangram
Parishad (SSP) and finally the SDF. He focuses on the state
Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha elections in the state and
the changing governments in Sikkim. He tries to look at Sikkimese
people's faith and trust on the SDF. Though the book has
discussed about the emergence of political parties in the state but
it does not give a detailed account of the dominance of one party
in the state for a long period of time which is very important for
the recent work.

Pap,e\15
 Subba's (1999) book is a translated version of the book
"Sikkim Bigarne Ko Ho?" It tries to explain how democracy is
created to protect the rights of the people. It highlights the
violation of democratic rights of the people during SSP rule in
Sikkim. It expresses how the ruler violated the Rule of Law in the
state and oppressed people who raised their voice against anti-
government activities in the state. The book however fails to give
information on the newly emerged political party, SDF and the rule
of Sikkim under the SDF.

Karma Tshering Bhutia's (1999) work "Rise and Fall of a

Tyrant -Resurgence of Democratic Forces under Pawan Chamling"
presents the details of administration under the Bhandari
government under SSP. It gives in details the wrong commitments
under the regime of Nar Bahadur Bhandari in Sikkim. The purpose
of the book is to bring out in public notice how the administration,
bureaucracy and police force oppressed the public to no end and
the corruption cases against the former Chief Minister of Sikkim.
The various incidents mentioned in the book clearly show the
ordeal of the common man: the poorer section of the Sikkimese
people- under the dictatorial regime of Nar Bahadur Bhandari. The
first part of the book is a brief profile of Nar Bahadur Bhandari and
the corruptions during his time. The second part of the book
highlights the pro-people policies of Pawan Chamling in Sikkim.

Gaunley's edited book (2002) contains the

achievements and contributions of various personalities of Sikkim
towards the democratic movement in Sikkim before the merger of
Sikkim with the Indian Union. The book also provides an outline of
the democratic movement in Sikkim with the birth of the first
political party. It further explains the process of administration and
the Zamindari system under the Chogyal's of Sikkim. He provides

Pagel16
detailed information on the events before 1950s and onwards. He
highlights the first and the second phase of people's movements
and political party activities. Transformation of Sikkim from
Monarchy to Democracy (Rajtantra Dekhi Prajatantra Samma), the
role of political parties, change in governments since 1974 are the
other things discussed in this work. The second part of the book
deals with the works of the Bhandari Government. To him the
corrupt political activities of Bhandari led to the decline of the SSP
and the emergence of the SDF. The book has failed to give a
detailed study on the democratic process in Sikkim in the present
day.

Gopal Gaunley and Samiran Chhetri's (2002) edited book

"History of Democratic Movement" gives an outline of the
democratic Movement. The Kazi's and the Thekedar's exploited the
masses. The political parties in Sikkim opposed this exploitation
and raised movements against the Chogyal and the Kazi's and it
sought to eradicate Sikkim from the evil of the Zamindari system.
The book's focus is on the contributions made by various people in
the democratic movement of Sikkim. The book presents the
contribution of 110 persons who had dedicated their life for the
betterment of Sikkim. These leaders hailed from all the four parts
of Sikkim. The book however fails to analyse the various political
organisations and political parties that contributed to the
democratic process of Sikkim.

On the emergence of SDF in the state, the work by Bali

"Pawan Chamling-Daring To Be Different" (2003) is the most
significant one. He gives a biography of the President of the party.
Pawan Chamling who to him is a leader of the masses and
examines how he as the Chief Minister makes an effort towards
rebuilding the State of Sikkim. As a man of the masses, the Chief
" • f':"O -:'"~'1
'" u '-
Page 117

?.c55'll
Minister Pawan Chamling is closely knit together with the evolution
of Sikkim as a constituent democratic state of India from an
independent kingdom ruled by the erstwhile Chogyal. Pawan
Chamling has been the chief architect of Sikkim's emotional
integration with mainstream India. Chamling's extra-ordinary
success story as a mass-based politician is popularly credited to
his humility to accept and respect the people as the fountain head
of all power. To him 1 in order to understand the performance of
the party when in power one must look at the manner in which the
party came into being i.e., the factors that led Chamling to start a
new regional political party in Sikkim.

"Sikkim: Past and Present" (2004) by H. G. Joshi is a work

on different aspects of Sikkim- its history, politics, society and
economy. It contains seven chapters. The first chapter covers an
overview of Sikkim's history and geography, agriculture system,
industries, irrigation and power/ transport, festivals and tourist
centres of Sikkim. The second chapter of the book presents the
abode of snow, interesting places in and around Gangtok as tourist
spots, natural wealth 1 and mountainous adventure/ Lamaism,
Buddhism and Monastries of Sikkim. The third chapter discusses
the historic evolution of Sikkim, cultural aspects, population/
settlement pattern and economic aspects of Sikkim. It also
discusses the economy of the former Kingdom, forest resources 1
minerals1 industries, power and transport. Political aspects like
internal and external political problems like that of the
neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Nepal and India are also
discussed. Talking about the modern state, the book sheds light on
national identity, nation-building efforts, accession of Sikkim to the
Indian Union and the rise of democracy in Sikkim. A large number
of issues and problems had been discussed in this book but still
the book has some limitations. The most important limitation is

Page\18
that it fails to provide an account of the political development in
Sikkim after the merger in 1975.

Shri Krishan's (2005) "Political Mobilisation and Identity in

Western India, 1934-47" is a series of six volumes. The first
volume is by Such eta Mahajan, "Independence and Partition: The
Erosion of Colonial Power in India". The second volume is on "A
Narrative of Communal Politics: Uttar Pradesh, 1937-39" by Sa\il
Mishra. The third volume is on "Imperialism, Nationalism and the
Making of the Indian Capitalist Class, 1920-47" by Aditya
Mukherjee. The fourth volume is by Visa\akshi Menon "From
Movement to Government: The Congress in the United Provinces".
The fifth volume by Mridula Mukherjee is on "Peasants in India's
Non-Violent Revolution: Practice and Theory". And the last volume
is by Rakesh Batabyal on "Communalism in Bengal: From Famine
to Naokhali, 1937-47. The volumes highlight the issues on party
mobilisation only in the introductory part and the rest of the book
is on different issues which are not relevant for the present study.
In discussing party mobilisation, the focus of the book is only on
Western India and not on the other parts of India including Sikkim.

Lepcha (2008) had focussed on the achievement of

Sikkimese Lepcha under the SDF government. The government
under the SDF has given more importance to the development of
the Lepcha Community as it is the Primitive Tribal Community of
Sikkim. The SDF government implemented several programmes
for the welfare of the poor section of the society. The book reveals
how the government under the SDF has made progressive
programmes on environment conservation and taken measures to
protect and preserve the identity of Lepcha's of Sikkim. The book
does not highlights the study on other communities of Sikkim and
the measures taken by the government to improve the living

Page\19
status of these communities. It also fails to shed light on the role
played by different communities in the political development of
Sikkim.

Jigme N. Kazi's (2009) "Sikkim for Sikkimese" is a book in

which the author tries to discuss the hopes and aspirations of the
Sikkimese people; Lepchas, Bhutias, Nepalese and members of the
other Communities who have been living in Sikkim for generations.
It informs the readers the efforts made by the people and their
demands for restoration of their political rights and preservation of
their distinct identity within the union and within the framework of
the Constitution of India. The author highlights the methods
adopted by the people to achieve their objectives. The people
adopted peaceful, non-violent and democratic means for their
purpose. The book provides an overview of the democratic
movements taking place for the protection of rights in the state
and the government's effort to control these movements. The
author tries to raise questions related to identity issues and
preservation of constitutional rights. Talking about the democratic
movements and the protection of political rights of the people, the
author neglects the role played by the other political parties in this
movement.

The second category of literature deals with the socio-

political, socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects of Sikkim.
Bhattacharya (1988) focuses on the inter-relationship between the
indigenous Bhutia and the Lepcha Communities and the diverse
collection of ethnic groups from Nepal that started migrating into
Sikkim in the latter part of the 19th century. Its focus is on the
critical role played by the Buddhist institutions that provided the
foundation for Sikkim's political system since the establishment of
Sikkim as an independent polity in the central Himalayas. The ruler

Page (20
of Sikkim was from the Buddhist faith and the coronation of the
first king in Sikkim was done by three Buddhist Monks from Tibet.
Since then the rulers have been accepted as a religious head and
the ruler. The author further stresses on the impact of Buddhism
on the political process in Sikkim but fails to shed light on the
democratic set up in Sikkim.

Bhadra (1992) in her 'Sikkim-Democracy and Social Change"

explains the factors and forces that led to the transformation of
Sikkim from a monarchy to democracy. Commenting on the
political developments in a traditional society it stresses that the
objective of the present study is not theory building but to explore
and gain understanding of the factors of socio-political change in
Sikkim. Bhadra presents the socio-economic conditions of Sikkim,
the state of political parties and pressure groups. To her it is
important to analyse the political process in terms of nation-
building, popular participation, modernity, social mobility, identity
etc. She looks at whether democracy is compatible with the
Sikkimese tradition. It also tries to find out the agents of social
change and what role do different social and economic classes in
Sikkim play in her quest for political development since the basic
issue is the standard and practices of modern democratic life in
Sikkim? The book provides with much information but still it has
some limitations. It fails to study the political development and the
process of social change in the post- merger period in Sikkim. It
focuses more on the social forces than on political organisations.

Buddha M. Subba and J. R. Subba's (1994) "Cries Unheard"

presents some of the major issues like in the field of economic,
social and legal problems of women in the state of Sikkim. The
book is set out in six chapters. The first part of the book highlights
Sikkim today, its land and people, population, communities,

Pag 0 I 21
constitutional status, language, religion and economic
development, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and resource
mobilisation in the state. The second part deals with the sex ratio,
education, literacy, health, social welfare, economic status, history
of women's status, role of judiciary on women's status and
women's legal status in Sikkim. Part III, IV, V and VI summarises
the technological, training needs, role of women on economic
development and role of Five Year Plans on the status of Women.
The book gives a detailed study on Women's status in Sikkim but
the drawback of the book lies on its failure to deal the political
aspects of Sikkim.

"The Awakening Struggle for Survival" (2006) by Tseten

Tashi Bhutia, a former legislator of Sikkim Legislative Assembly is
a book that attempts to project the authentic documentation of the
ongoing challenges faced by different ethnic communities such as
Bhutia, Lepcha, Umboo and other Nepalese of Sikkimese origin.
The rights of the people had been often hijacked by the local
politicians for their party and political gains. The book tries to shed
light on the major challenges faced by the Sikkemese people like
over increasing influx, rights and interest of the Sikkemese people
as enshrined in the Article 371(F) of the Constitution. Since this
book is an effort made by one man, it discusses only various
issues pertaining to Sikkim and Sikkimese people, it does not
cover any political and socio-economic aspects of Sikkim. The
major part of the book contains only the press releases by Sikkim
Bhutia Lepcha Association and senior citizens correspondence and
representation made by the organisation.

"Sikkim, Feudal and Democratic" (2008) by A.C. Sinha is a

book on social and political development in Sikkim. It is divided
into three parts and twelve chapters which study the history of

Page 122
Sikkim, it's past and present. It shows how the Tibetans, Nepalese,
and the British dealt with Sikkim leading to be an autonomous
entity. Part one provides the background and social history leading
to emergence of ethnic plurality and their political status. It
reflects how the Bhutia rulers of Namgyal dynasty ruled Sikkim. In
this part of the book one gets to know about the immigration of
Nepalese Sikkimese and the ethnic complexities in Sikkim, the
interference of the British in the politics of Sikkim and the detail
account on how Sikkim became the protectorate of India and then
the 22'' state of the Indian Union. Part Ill describes the
transformation of Sikkim from feudal set up to a democratic set up
under Nepali leader. The book is informative and interesting for
the readers that highlight the role played by the elite class in the
democratic set up. It however does not deal with the role and
contribution of other social groups in the society.

The third category of literature being reviewed is on the

socio-cultural aspects of Sikkim. Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya's
(1981) book "Aspect of Cultural History of Sikkim: Studies of
Coinage" contains only five chapters. The chapters gives a brief
background on the historical geography and further elaborates the
geographical location of Sikkim, its close neighbours, passes,
mountains, rivers, lakes, landscapes, flora and fauna, climate and
so on. Chapter II is a study of the population which reflects the
origin and existence of different ethnic groups and their culture,
traditions, religion, language and social status. The third part of
the book is on the political history of Sikkim. It provides the
history of Namgyal Dynasty which was established in 1642 and its
rule since then. It also discusses the relationship with the
neighbouring countries like British India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet.
Chapter IV sheds light on the socio-economic condition of Sikkim
during the Namgyal dynasty. In the last chapter, the author writes

Page 123
about the tradesmen in Sikkim and the description of the coins and
identifies the coins as Doli Paise and Chapte Paise. The author
however does not talk about the political organisations in Sikkim
during the Chogyal's Rule.

"Sikkim- The Prayer Wheel and Scriptre" by Aparna

Bhattacharya is a study of socio-political system in Sikkim which
has largely focussed on the inter-relationship between the
indigenous Bhutia and Lepcha communities and the diverse
collection of ethnic groups from Nepal that started migrating into
Sikkim in the later part of the 19th Century. The second part of the
book is on the critical role played by the Buddhist institutions in
the foundation of Sikkim's political system in the mid 17th century.
Bhattacharya has made an important contribution to our
understanding of the impact of Buddhism on the political process
in Sikkim. The author is however analysing the impact of
Buddhism in the politics of Sikkim and not the other factors, which
had contributed in building Sikkim as a 22"d state of the Indian
Union.

Singh's (1985) edited "People of India: Sikkim" is a work on

bio-cultural and linguistic profile of all the 25 communities of
Sikkim and their history, culture, custom, religion, faith and belief,
languages, art, crafts, food habits, agriculture, settlement pattern,
festivals, socio-economic and political organisations. Its focus is
mainly on the interrelationship between the indigenous culture and
Buddhism and other ethnic cultures of Sikkim. In the political
development of Sikkim, he criticises the role of Buddhist
institutions in the foundation of Sikkim's political system since the
establishment of monarchy in Sikkim in 1642. It sheds light on the
influence of Buddhism in the governing system, administration and
law making process. This book especially gives emphasis to the

Pagel24
governing process, administration and law making processes in
Sikkim during the Chogyal's rule and Sikkim as an independent
kingdom. Singh however fails to discuss the important aspects of
political process and administration after the fall of the Namgyal
dynasty in Sikkim which could have made his book more useful.

Kharel's (2002) work "Socio-Economic Condition of Sikkim

under Colonial Domination (1889-1947)" has five chapters. The
first chapter highlights the socio-economic, political culture,
educational and administrative condition of Sikkim during the
British Colonial Domination from 1889-1947. John White Claude
was appointed the first political officer of Sikkim in 1889. The book
is thus a study of the developments since 1889. The author sheds
light on British penetration after 1814 Anglo-Nepalese war on the
pretext of handling over territory. The author gives two reasons for
the war; i) the British wanted to trade with Tibet through Sikkim
and ii) the British realised that the establishment of sound
relations with Sikkim would make their way easy in operating its
activities in Tibet without any disturbance. The author talks about
the socio-economic condition of Sikkim but neglects the political
condition and processes in Sikkim.

Subba's (2008) book provides the history of existence of the

Himalayan Kingdom. Its focus is on the disintegration of ethnicity,
culture and customs of the people of Sikkim. The author elaborates
the history and culture of various groups and communities of
Sikkim like the Lepcha's, Bhutia's, Limboo's and the Nepalese.
There are sub-groups amongst the Nepali community and the
author has done a good work in explaining and elaborating the
various cultures and traditions of the sub-groups as well. The
landscape, agriculture, food, dress culture, religion, social
transformation, language and literature had been well presented.

Page ]25
The book gives a detail account of the folk culture, festivals, art
and culture of different communities of Sikkim. The political aspect
of Sikkim is however not much covered in the book.

Chettri's (2008) thesis on "Women's Empowerment" mainly

studies the aspect of women participation, empowerment and
Panchayat in Sikkim. It tries to study the implementation of the
73rd Amendment Act, 1993 in Sikkim and provides a historical
background of Women's participation in Panchayati Raj. The Act
has been implemented in the state and 33°/o seat reservation for
women in the Panchayats is given. The women have been
empowered more by the Act and this has resulted in raising their
status in the society. They have been able to take decisions at the
grassroots level. The thesis gives a detail account of the Balwantrai
Metha Committee (1957), Committee on the status of Women in
India (1975), Ashok Metha Committee (1977), National
Perspective Plan for Women (1988-2000), the Constitution's 73''
Amendment Act 1993. At the end of the thesis, suggestions are
also provided as to how improvements on the condition of women
can be achieved.

The third category of literature is on the socio- cultural

aspects of Sikkim which also includes the education section.
Baldev, Srilekha and Agnihotri's (1995) book "Educational
Administration in Sikkim-Structure, Processes and Future
Prospects" is the outcome of the survey conducted by the All-India
Survey of Educational Administration covering all the states and
union territories. The book is based not only on the information
collected from primary sources in the state but also from the latest
data from secondary sources. It gives the present status of
educational administration right from the institution to the state
level, with a focus primarily on administration of school education.

Page\26
The book provide selected indicators of educational development
which further gives a comparative picture of the state vis-a-vis the
all- India position at different points of time. The book provides a
critical analysis of various functions of educational planning and-
administration with suggestions for future development of the
administrative system. It outlines the task ahead for educational
planners and administrators. It also studies the activity profiles of
educational administrators, particularly at district and institutional
levels. The book is a series of publication on educational
administration in the various states and union territories of the
country and is a valuable reference material for researchers,
educationists, educational planners and administrators as well as
all those interested in the development of education.

The fourth category of literature is on the historical

perspective of Sikkim. Maitreyee Chaudhary's (2006) work
"Sikkim; Geographical Perspective" covers the physical and human
geography of Sikkim. It also deals with traditional subjects like
physical landscape, demography, economic profile, urbanisation,
modernism and post-modern developments such as human
development, infrastructure and quality of life. In the physical
features topics like mountains, rivers, peaks, passes, glaciers,
lakes, hot springs and climate of Sikkim is discussed in details.
Human population trends, ethnic diversification and urbanisation
process in pre and post merger periods are discussed. Human
development is given importance and side by side education,
health care, employment, economic profile and tourism are
highlighted. The book is confined to only geographical aspects of
Sikkim and it does not cover other aspects like social, political and
economic.

Page]27
 A brief history of Sikkim is provided by Pema Wangchuk and
Mita Zulca in "Kanchendzonga Sacred Sumit" (2007). The book
provides an account of the history, culture, tradition, faith and
belief, language, literature and social way of life of the original
inhabitants of Sikkim such as Lepcha's, Umboo's and Bhutia's. The
author attempts to demarcate the boundaries of Limbuwan (Land
of Limboos) that existed before the birth of Sikkim in 1642 A.D.
The book gives an account of the spread of Buddhism in Sikkim
and the coming of the three great Tibetan Monks, Gyalwa Lachen
Chempo, Katok Rigzing Chempo and Ngadak Sempo Chempo to
Sikkim in the 1640's. There was a conversion of Lepcha's and
Lim boo's to Buddhism from their ancestral faith. The book however
fails to study the socio and political structure of Sikkim.

The fifth category of literature review is on the article on the

political development of Sikkim. The second article "Spotlight on
Sikkim" is an article by Jigme N. Kazi (1983). The first part of the
article is entitled "Sikkim Down the Ages" which gives the history,
cultural identity, geographical and topographical aspects, religion
and social reforms in Sikkim. The second part is entitled "Political
and Administration development" which talks about the
consecration of the first Chogyal Phontsok Namgyal at Yoksom,
West Sikkim in 1642. The third part discusses the formation of first
popular ministry under the Chief Ministership of Tashi Tshering
Bhutia on 9th May 1949. It also traces the appointment of the first
Indian Dewan, J.S La II in Sikkim in August 1950 and the formation
of Advisory Committee with representations from political parties
like Sikkim State Congress and the Sikkim National Party. The
article highlights the first general election of the state Council of
Sikkim based on the parity system; seats equally distributed
between the Bhutia- Lepcha and Nepali of Sikkimese origin. It also
talks about the creation of the Sangha seat (monk) in 1958 and

Pagel28
seat for Limboo and Scheduled Caste in Sikkim Council in 1966.
The political parties in Sikkim made demands for the abolition of
landlordism, formation of Interim government and merger of
Sikkim with India. The other chapters presents an account of the
May 8 Agreement 1973, Tripartite Agreement between Chogyal of
Sikkim, leaders of political parties of Sikkim and the Indian
Government on the 8th May 1973. It also talks about the
constitutional provision given in article 371F. The article tries to
present the major issues that took place in Sikkim. But it gives
account of only the issues and problems prior to 1982 and not
after 1982.

Another article is on "Seat Reservation in Sikkim Assembly"

(2001) by B.B Gurung in "Sikkim Perspective -A 25 Year Recap
from Sikkim Express -1976-2001". The article's focus is on the
issue of seat reservation in Sikkim Legislative Assembly for
different communities of Sikkim. The article gives an account of
the promulgation of Sikkim Subject Regulation. It also discusses
the Tripartite Agreement of 8th May 1973 and the seat provisions
i.e. 16 seats for Sikkimese Bhutia- Lepcha, one Sangha seat and
16 seats for the Sikkimese Nepalese. The article studies the
ordinance passed by the Governor of Sikkim in 1979 which
abolished the 16 seats reserved for the Nepalese and the same
seat was declared as General seats in the Assembly. The article
has the shortcoming of dealing with only the reservation issue and
ignoring the other issues confronting Sikkim.

"Sikkim: Darjeeling Compendium of Documents" (2004) is a

compilation and collection of treaties, agreements and conventions
entered between India, China, Bhutan, Nepal and Sikkim. The
article contains memorandums, petitions of various organisations
and notifications of state and central governments compiled and

Pagel29
edited by R. Moktan in 2004. It contains 20 treaties, 6 Amendment
Bills, 12 Memorandums, 2 petitions, 1 resolution, 3 letters/ 1
speech of Ladenla, 2 debate papers and 10 articles by various
writers. The article contains Tripartite treaty, "Lho-Men-Tsong-
Sum" signed between the Bhutia's, Lepcha's and Limboo's in 1641-
42 A.D during the time of coronation of the Bhutia king in Sikkim.
Part IV contains ten articles by different scholars and writers. The
article by J. R. Subba highlights the historical aspects of Lepcha's
and Manger communities of Darjeeling and Sikkim. It also
highlights on "Sikkim; history of Annexation". The article does not
cover all the political issues and problems of Sikkim and
Democratic movement in Sikkim.

"Panchayati Raj Institution in Sikkim: Participation and

Development" is an article by R.R Dhamala (1994) where she
discusses the importance of participation of the people in the
Panchayat Raj Institution in the state. To him participation of the
people is an important element in the development process of the
state. To him, participation means (i) voluntary contribution to the
public programme, (ii) the initiative and involvement of the people
in any development programme of the area, and (iii) involvement
of the people in the decision making process. In this article
Dhamala talks about the development of Panchayati Raj
Institution's in Sikkim and how far it has been successful in the
participation of the people. The article is about the grassroots
democracy of Sikkim, it fails to write about other aspects like
political and socio-economic.

The literature that we have analysed above focuses on the

historical development of politics in Sikkim and the factors that led
to the formation of regional parties in the state and its role in the
democratic process in the state. The problem with the literature is

Pagel30
that it provides only general ideas and information about the
establishment and growth of democratic politics in Sikkim (Das
1983, Dutta 1991, Bhadra 1992). The works of Sengupta (1985),
Kazi (1993), Lama (1994), Sharma (1996), Gaunley (2002) and
Bali (2003) all provides detailed information and ideas on party
politics to some extent. It covers the issues and topics like party-
politics, origin of political parties (regional and national), party
strategies, defections, rule of political parties and pressure groups
etc. But it can be stated that these literature is simply not enough
and do not shed light on democratic process and the working of
democratic institutions in Sikkim. Questions like, why it is so that
there is a domination of one party in Sikkim from 1994 till the
present in every sphere of political life even though in most of the
Indian states there is competitive party politics either a multiparty
system or a two party system? This is a question that is hardly
dealt with in any of the works.

The books by Sengupta (1985), Lama (1994) Sharma

(1996), and Gaunley (2002) deals with the emergence of new
political parties but fail to deal with the problem, i.e., the question
of dominance of one party in Sikkim since 1979 till date, the
emergence of SDF, its strategies, objectives achievements,
continuance of SDF in government since 1994, people's acceptance
of SDF as a regional political party, their faith and trust upon the
party and also the kind of stability that we witness in the state.
The present work has addressed the gaps in the performance of
the regional political parties in the state, especially the role played
by two regional parties; Sikkim Sangram Parishad and Sikkim
Democratic Front, which has ruled Sikkim for more than a decade
and half. The study is based on how the two regional political
Parties has been able to win the Assembly Election for consecutive
terms and maintain its hold in Sikkim. it looks into the support

Page 131
base of the party and governance in the state by one party, i.e. by
the SDF since 1994.

The primary objective of the study had been to analyse the

reasons behind the "dominance of one party in Sikkim" and other
related questions. The study has particularly focussed on the
emergence, expansion and growth of SDF since 1993 in the state.
The study also focuses on the strategies adopted by the party, its
main objectives, support base and its performance as a ruling
party which is ruling Sikkim for a long period of time. The study
has tried to provide an understanding of party politics in the state
since 1994 and the support base of the party in the state.

METHODOLOGY

The study required data collection for answering the research

questions. Considering the objective and the research questions
the data used are of two types: primary and secondary. The data
collected through field survey belongs to the primary category. The
first four chapters use secondary as well as primary sources. The
primary sources used are government documents, official reports,
party documents and biographies. The last two chapters is
completely based on field surveys conducted in four different
constituencies, one from each district.

The selection of the constituencies was done in such a way

that it covers both urban as well as rural areas. The constituencies
of the north, south and west districts constitute purely rural areas
and the Gangtok constituency in the east district covers both rural
and urban areas. The main purpose behind the selection of these
constituencies is that since its formation in 1993, the party has
been able to win all the Assembly elections (1994, 1999, 2004 and
2009) in the state. The study, therefore tries to find out the

Pagel32
reasons for the consecutive success of SDF in the elections, the
dominance of the SDF in the state politics and the support base of
the party in the state since 1994 -2004.

At least four gram panchayat's were selected from each

constituency for conducting the survey. The survey was carried
randomly in the villages. In the Damthang constituency of south
district the survey was conducted in the five panchayat blocks;
Maniram Singithang Block, Maniram Block, Salleybung Block,
Singithang Block and Boomtar Block. In Geyzing constituency the
survey was conducted in Geyzing Block covering middle lower
Kyondsa, Omchung Block covering upper Omchung and lower
Omchung, Lungzik Block covering Lower Lungzik and Upper
Lungzik and Tikjya Block covering Lower Tikjya and Upper Tikjya.
In the Lachen- Mangshila constituency of North district, the survey
was conducted in Lachen 1 Lachung, Tshungthang and Mangan. In
the East district the survey is conducted in Gangtok constituency.
The areas where survey was conducted were the town area and
the surrounding areas.

The survey was conducted among all the caste groups and
all categories of people with different occupations. The survey was
also conducted among the party supporters and activists. There
were some obstacles in discussing party based questions especially
among the employed groups. The respondents were reluctant in
answering the questions. At least 100 to 150 persons were
surveyed from each constituency covering at least three Gram
Panchayat's. It is from these responses attempt was made in order
to get an understanding of the manner in which the party mobilise
support at the grassroots and the support base of the party.

Pagel33
Organisation of the Study: The Chapters

The entire research work is divided into six chapters. The first
chapter deals with the questions related to the genesis, initial
growth, the success of the Sikkim Democratic Front as a regional
political party and the dominance of one party rule under SDF
since 1994. It begins with a brief political history of Sikkim and the
foundation of democratic movements in Sikkim in the 1940's and
the merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union in 1975. The chapter
gives a detailed account of the rise of Nar Bahadur Bhandari and
his success in the three consecutive Assembly elections of 1979,
1985 and 1989. The chapter covers the reasons for the downfall of
Bhandari under SSP and the emergence of SDF as an alternative
government in 1994. The SDF President and the founder of the
party, Pawan Chamling applied different means and measures for
gathering support of the people against Nar Bahadur Bhandari and
his government in Sikkim. The chapter further discusses the
success of the party and the performance of the party in the
Assembly Elections of 1994, 1999 and 2004.

Chapter II is on the promises which the SDF use as an

important strategy for winning and maintaining its dominance in
the politics of Sikkim. The promises are divided into political,
social, economic etc. Political promises include the promise of
democracy and decentralisation in Sikkim under the SDF. The first
part of the chapter also discusses the shifts in the party and how it
tried to mobilise the people by its pro-people policies. Part II of the
chapter has studied the populist promises and measures of the
party. It discusses how the SDF uses populism in the state to keep
its support intact and remain in power.

The third chapter is on the economic policies of the SDF

government. It studies what policies the party has adopted and

Page\34
how far the party has been able to implement these policies and
the consequent development brought as per the policies
mentioned. The economic policies of the party are categorised into
Agricultural sector, Industrial sector, Tourism and service sector.
In the Agricultural sector the SDF led government has provided
with many facilities and incenttves to the farmers for better
agricultural production. Similarly in the industrial sector the
government revived old and sick industries in the state and
introduced modern and scientific technologies for the improvement
in industrial production. The government also gave importance to
the development of service sector and tourism as it leads to
economic development in the state. We analyse the policies since
it helps the party to muster support for itself.

The fourth part of the study deals with the governance of the
SDF government. The chapter deals with the status of democracy
in Sikkim. The chapter studies how democracy was established in
the state and how far the SDF tried to restore democracy in the
state after it came to power. The chapter looks at how far the SDF
has been able to establish "Janta ko raj ma jantai raja". It also
looks at the status of substantive democracy under the SDF
regime.

Chapters V and VI both taken together analyse the success

of the SDF in consecutive Assembly elections in Sikkim and the
support base of the party. This chapter is based on a field survey
that has been conducted in four constituencies of Sikkim.
Damthang constituency in south district, Geyzing constituency in
the west district, Lachen-Mangshila in the north district and
Gangtok constituency in the east district were selected for this
purpose. The field survey included questions on the occupation,
income, religion, economic background and more importantly on

Page l 35
the support to the political parties in the state and performance of
the party in the constituency. After the field survey it was found
that the people support the SDF as it is the only party in the state
that has brought development in the state. The people are happy
and satisfied with the party. It is also clear from the election
results of 1994, 1999 and 2004 that the party gets support from
the majority of the people in the state. It is also found that the
main support base of the party is the rural masses who have
benefitted from the SDF led government.

Page\36
 CHAPTER I

SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT: ORIGINS

AND ITS INITIAL SUCCESS

In the first chapter of the thesis we attempt to answer the

question, what were the objective conditions that gave birth to the
Sikkim Democratic Front (hereafter SDF) and what factors
contributed to its initial success in Sikkim. We answer this question
in three different sections In this chapter. In this chapter, section I
looks in brief the political developments in Sikkim since its merger
with the Indian Union in 1947 till 1994. In section II we deal with
the emergence of Sikkim Sangram Parishad (hereafter SSP) as a
regional political outfit in 1984 that continues to rule the state
uninterruptedly. Section III analyse the conditions or factors that
were responsible for the birth of the Sikkim Democratic Front as a
regional political party and we also focus on the factors that
contributed to its initial success.

SECTION I
Political Developments in Sikkim
(1947-1994}

Democracy as a new political system in Sikkim began its journey in

the 1940's but the historians believe that real Democracy was
experienced by the people only after 1975 when Sikkim became
the 22nd state of the Indian Union on 16'" May, 1975. But before
we deal with the post merger period it is essential to look into the
political developments in Sikkim in the pre-merger period. Sikkim

Page[37
was ruled by the Namgya\ dynasty for over 333 years 1 Phensok
Namgyal was coronated as the first Chogyal of Sikkim at
Norbugang now called Yoksum, West Sikkim in 1642 A.D. Since
then Sikkim came under the Namgya\ dynasty and remained so till
1974. In the years Sikkim as a tiny Himalayan Kingdom had to
face both external and internal uprisings. Externally, repeated
invasion from Nepal (Gorkhas) in 1717 and by Bhutan in 1700 and
1718 was always a great threat to Sikkim. 2 For its protection,
Sikkim approached the East India Company for assistance. The
help came from a combined force of the Britisher's and the
Sikkimese people. During the time of Chogya\ Chakdor Namgya\ in
1700-1706, Sikkim was invaded by Bhutan which was repulsed by
the combined forces of Sikkimese Lepcha's, Bhutias, Umboo's and
Nepalese 3

British showed interest in Sikkim as Sikkim is a border state

between India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and China. The Britisher's had
to pass through Sikkim to carry out their trade and political
activities in Tibet. 4 On February 10'", 1817 Sikkim signed a treaty
of Titaliya with the East India Company surrendering all her rights
to deal with any foreign power and the right to free access to the
British to the Tibet border. With this Sikkim became a de-facto
protectorate in 1861 (Das, 1983, pp. 6-7). 5 The ethnic composition
of Sikkim also underwent a rapid change with the advent of the
Britisher's in Sikkim.

1
Before the establishment of the Namgyal dynasty in Sikkim, Sikkim was a
vacant land inhabited by the primitive tribe-the Lepcha's.
2 The first Bhutnese invasion of 1700 A.D occupied the entire area of Sikkim except Chumbi valley,
Ham and Umbuwan area of Greater Sikkim. Bhutan ruled Sikkim for eight years.
3 Disintegration of Sikkim started during the third Chogyal Chakdor Namgyal
with the invasion of Bhutenese in 1700 and the process continued til\ it finally
disintegrated into a constituent state of India in 1975.
4 The Britisher's saw Sikkim and Bhutan as possible gateways to Tibet but
Sikkim was an easy access to them.
5 After signing the treaty of Tita\iya, the British played a dominant role in Sikkim.

Page 138
 During Tashi Namgyal's period from 1914, the political
history in Sikkim took a new turn. The Chogyal was under the
influence of the Kazi's. Kazi's were the members of the Royal
Parishad and they were also the Zamindar's. They often claimed
that they were the members of the royal family and have every
right to exploit, to tax and to adjudicate the cases of the king's
subjects. In short they exploited the rural masses. The king was
aware of these exploitations but no passive solutions were meted
out. The exploitations took various forms like-Kalobhari, Jharlangi,
Theki-Bethi and Kuruwa.

Kalobhari: the British sold arms and ammunitions to Tibet. To save

it from terrain weather, rain and snow, it was wrapped in
cardboards and put inside gunny bags coated with tar. The black
colour gave the local name kalobhari or black load. Potters were
fixed to carry this transport. For the potters the British depended
upon the Kazi contractors. For the transport of each bag they paid
50 paisa but the Kazi contractors kept the whole amount for
themselves. They did not pay the potters and forced them to carry
the load through the difficult Tibetan terrain. This system of
carrying on trade and transport was called Kalobhari.

Jharlangi: The Britisher's maintained the trade route to Tibet for

which they depended upon the contractors for labourers and were
paid, but the Kazi contractors used their peasants to work without
paying their wages, this system of labour without wages is called
Jharlangi system.

Theki-Bethi: In Sikkim, below the Zamindar's there was a class of

people called Mandals or Karwari. Their function was to collect the
rents of the Zamindar's. They too as middlemen exploited the
masses. On festive occasions they were supposed to be welcomed
by gifts. These gifts were packed in special receptacle called the

Page\39
Theki, which contained meat, curd, bananas and other items.
Along with theki, the peasants also offered the Mandals and
Zamindar's their wage less labour. This wage less labour was
called Bethi. There was no limit to the amount of time and labour
and no special place for performing it.

Kuruwa: means a long wait. At times people sent to transport the

kalobhari had to wait for several days for the arrival of the
commodities. During such wait they survived on their own
supplies, this process of long waiting is called Kuruwa.

The Zamindari System: From every house the Zamindar's collected

Rupees 6/-, out of which Rupees 5/- was kept by him and Rupee
1/- was transferred to the government. Later, the Zamindar's
collected taxes similarly from all the subjects of the king. The rent
paid by the subjects was fixed according to the productive capacity
of the land, for equally productive land the Nepalese peasants paid
6
14 annas and the Bhutia's 8 annas.

The Kazis used the system of kalobhari, kuruwa, theki-bethi

and rents of the masses. They monopolised control over the
agricultural land where the people simply worked. Many Sikkimese
families left Sikkim and took refuge in Nepal, Assam, Darjeeling
and Siliguri due to the ever increasing suppression of the Kazis.
During those days the peasants were made to pay Rs 6/- as rent
for their dwelling space (Dhurikhajana) and this amount was equal
to the price of a set of oxen.

The suppression in Sikkim during that time reached the

highest point. The masses rose against the suppression of the
Kazis. The first underground movement began at Namthang

6
The Council meeting of sth September 1898, it decided that those lands where
Lepchas, Bhutias and the Nepalese were settled together, unequal rate of
taxation was imposed (Subba, 2008,p,63)

Page 140
followed by a secret meeting held in the forest of Tendong Hill,
Damthang under the leadership of Dhan Bahadur Tewari and
Go bard han Pradhan of Temi Tarku. In 1947, villages of Temi Tarku
opened a political party called Praja Sammelan. The party
submitted a memorandum to the Maharaja requesting him to bring
an end to the suppression of the Kazis. But there was no positive
reaction on the part of the Maharaja. Another political party; Rajya
Praja Mandai was formed at Chyakhung under the leadership of
Kazi Lhendup Dorjee, Birkhabahadur Gurung, Narbahadur Gurung,
Maitabahadur Gurung, Narbir and Sangay Lama. Meantime
another political party, The Praja Samaj Party was formed at
Gangtok on 7th December 1947. These three political parties met
at the polo ground, now Palzor stadium, Gangtok and decided to
amalgamate their organisations and form a political party-The
Sikkim State Congress (SSC), which was a much stronger force
than the earlier ones. The main aim of the party was to end the
autocratic rule of the monarch.

On December, 9th, 1947, the Sikkim State Congress as the

only political party in Sikkim demanded the abolition of Zamindari
system and also demanded the establishment of a responsible
government and merger of Sikkim with India. On receiving this,
the Chogyal assured them that the demand for the abolition of the
Zamindari system will be met and land will be divided among the
poor peasants. On the question of establishing a responsible
government he agreed to take in his secretariat as advisors, the
representative of Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali community. Chogyal
however refused to accept the third demand put forward by the
party on the issue of merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union.

On February 16th, 1949, the Sikkim State Congress

launched "No Rent Campaign" to protest against the Chogyal of

Pa ge I 41
Sikkim and the Zamindari system at its annual session held at
Rangpo. The peasants would not pay their rents to the Zamindar's.
This campaign was held against the Maharaja's proclamation to
hold such meetings in any part of Sikkim. In this campaign
Chandra Das Rai was arrested for violating the proclamation.

In 1950 abrogating all former treaties between India and

Sikkim, a new agreement was signed between the Government of
India and Sikkim, making Sikkim a protectorate of India. The
Indian Government agreed to pay Rs 3 lakhs per annum to Sikkim
as rent. The Indian government slowly took the administration of
the state under its control. Political leaders like C.D Rai of State
Congress Party opposed the agreement signed between the
Government of India and Sikkim which made Sikkim a Protectorate
of India.

During the reign of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal, Sikkim became

politically weak because of several political problems within the
state. During his reign Sikkim witnessed a rise in political
consciousness among the people which led to the bloody revolution
of 1973. In March 28, 1973 there was an uprising in Gangtok when
people raised anti-Chogyal slogans and riots broke out. Several
demands were raised by the political parties and demanded in
unison a written constitutional system of one-man one vote1
reforms in the electoral process, land reforms and changes in the
administration. The revolutionaries took over the Government
Administration and in such a situation the king had to seek help
from the Indian Government. On April 9, 1973, B.S. Das formally
took over the administration of the state as the representative of
the Government of India. Peace was established in Sikkim when a
Tripartite Agreement was signed between the political parties of
Sikkim, the Chogyal and the Foreign Secretary of India. As per the

Pagej42
terms of the agreement responsible government was to be
established, fundamental rights and freedom of the people was to
be guaranteed and in every four years elections were to be held in
Sikkim. This agreement took away all the powers of the Chogyal.

The first historic election in Sikkim was held in April 1974.

The Sikkim Congress swept the poll and Kazi Lendup Dorjee
emerged as the first Chief Minister and the undisputed leader of
Sikkim. The table that follows shows the party position in the
Assembly Election of 1974 excluding the Sangha seat.

Table 1

Seats won by Political Parties in the Assembly election of 1974

Serial No. Name of the party Number of seats

1 Sikkim Congress 30

2 Sikkim National Party 01

3 Independent Ol(Supported by State Congress)

Source: S1k1k1m Herald, Voi.1S.no.3, Apnl 14, 1974.

On May 16th, 1975, the three hundred and thirty three year old
monarchy came to an end as Sikkim was merged with the Indian
Union and it became the 22"' state of India. 7 May 16, 1975 also
marked the fulfilment of a quarter century long struggle of the
people of Sikkim. Sikkim acquired the status of full democracy by
joining the political, economic and social mainstream of the Indian
Union by giving up the three hundred year old feudal traditional
Monarchical systems. The tricolour flag replaced the erstwhile

7
The integration of Sikkim with the Indian Union in 1975 gave the status of a
Special Category State of India, with the provision of providing 90% of plan
funds as grant and 10% as loan.

Page 143
Chogyal regime and B.B. Lal took the office of the first Governor of
Sikkim (Sikkim Herald, Aug 15, 1975). 8

With the establishment of democracy several political parties

emerged in Sikkim's political scenario. There was a great
difference in the role and performance of the political parties in the
process of democratization and economic development before and
after 1975. Out of all the parties, the Sikkim State Congress
became the most popular party amongst the Sikkimese. The party
stood for the democratic rights of the people with popular
government and accession of Sikkim to India. It was for the first
time in the history of Sikkim, the people of Sikkim voted in 1974.
Among the National Political Parties, the Indian National Congress
contested the election.' In the Assembly Election of 1974, the lone
Sikkim National party representative also joined the Congress
party.

Following Sikkim's merger with India, Kazi Lhendup Dorzee

Khangsarpa was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Sikkim. The
new government in 1974-75 depended upon the Central
government funds to bring rapid socio-economic development in
various sectors of the newly born state. There was some visible
progress in the state but not to the extent it should have been.
During Kazi's government Anti-Corruption branch was set up in
Gangtok and Frontier Railway Passenger Out Agency was opened
at Sikkim Nationalised Transport Office, Gangtok on September 1,
1975. Foundation stone of Temi Tea Factory in south Sikkim was
laid down by L. D Kazi on December 21, 1975 and Governor B.B

8 The integration of Sikkim with the Indian Union brought tremendous

development in socio-economic and literary fields. But this could not satisfy the
high expection of the people.
"The Indian National Congress is the oldest political party which has been
functioning in Sikkim since its merger with the political party of L.D Kazi's
Sikkim Congress in 1974. Since then it has been functioning as a state Unit of
the party.

Page 144
Lal inaugurated Gangtok Water Treatment Plant at Selep, East
Sikkim. Gangtok-Chungthang Bus Service, Divisional Telegraph
Office at Gangtok, Industrial Training Institute at Rangpo, Tashiling
Secretariat and Kendriya Vidyalaya at Deorali were established
during the Kazi's rule. The languages like Lepcha, Bhitia and
Nepali were recognised as the official languages of Sikkim in
1977. 10 (Information and Public Relations, Govt. of Sikkim, 2000).

But soon after the merger, large inputs of aid and

implementation of new schemes within a short period of time
created several ethnic, political and economic problems which the
new government failed to handle. The local bureaucracy was
inadequate and weak to handle the situation. Kazi had fought
against feudalism and corruption for over two decades but when
he finally succeeded and came to power he failed to satisfy the
aspirations of the people. Moreover there was a split in the ruling
party -Sikkim State Congress in 1977. Nar Bahadur Khatiwada
along with three sitting M.L.As left the party and formed a
temporary party called Provisional Unit for Congress for
Democracy in 1977. Later in the same year this party was
transformed into a new regional political party-Sikkim Prajatantra
Congress under Nar Bahadur Khatiwada.

In October 1979, election to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly

was held. This was the first elections in Sikkim under the
direction of the Election Commission of India and Indian election
rules. Altogether seven political parties and Independent
candidates contested the election. National parties such as Indian
National Congress, Janata Party, the CPI (M), several Regional
Parties, Viz; Sikkim Janata Parishad, Sikkim Congress

10
During the Namgyal dynasty (1642- 1974) Tibetan was the official language
of the country (Subba,2008,p.69).

Page )45
(Revolutionary), Sikkim Prajantantra Congress, Sikkim Scheduled
caste league and other independents contested the election
(Lama, 2003, p.100). In the election, the total number of voters
were 1,17,157 and the total number of votes cast was 76,299
votes; I.e. 65.13°/o.

The election was won by the Sikkim Janata Parishad. Sikkim

Janata Parishad was formed in 1977 by Nar Bahadur Bhandari. 11
Democracy and Socialism were its main objectives. The party
brought into limelight the drawbacks of the Kazi government. The
party promised three important things:

• Establish real democracy in Sikkim 1

• Undertake all-out development of the state,

• Curb corruption (Election Manifesto 1 Sikkim Janata Parishad,

1977)

The results of the election gave Sikkim politics a new turn. The
following table shows the position of the political parties in 1979.

TABLE:2

STATE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 1979

51. No. Name of Party No. If candidates No. Of %of votes

contested seats won secured

1 Sikkim Prajatantra 32 04 15.76

Congress

2 Janata Party 30 nil 13.18

3 Sikkim Janata 31 16 31.49

Parishad

4 Sikkim Congress (R) 27 11 20.58

11
Before forming Sikkim Janata Parlshad in 1977, Nar Bahadur Bhandari was arrested under
Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during L.D. Kazi's government and was kept in
Behrampur Jail from 1976-1977.

Page/46
 5 Indian National 12 nil 2.04
Congress

6 CPI [M] 02 nil 0.33

7 Sikkim Schedule 02 nil 0.12

Caste League

8 Independents 108 01 16.50

Source. Statistical Report, Slkklm LegislatiVe Assembly E\ectton, 1979, Electton

Commission of India.

Sikkim Janata Parishad under Nar Bahadur Bhandari formed the

government in 1979 with new hopes and aspirations. Before the
party could complete its first term of office, the government was
dismissed by the Governor in May 11, 1984 under Article 164 (1)
of the Constitution of India. Bhandari was levelled with corruption
charges by 13 legislators of his party including his four cabinet
ministers and expressed their lack of confidence in him (Sikkim
Government, Gazette, No. 58, 11-5-84).

B. B. Gurung, the Finance Minister in the Bhandari cabinet

became the third Chief Minister of Sikkim but the government
could survive for just 13 days. 12 As a result of the failure of the
constitutional machinery/ Sikkim was brought under presidential
rule by the Centre once again. In the meantime, Bhandari formed
a new political party, Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) and returned
back to power on March 11th, 1985 ending 10 months of
Presidents rule securing 30 out of 32 seats. Political parties like the
Congress (I), Janata Party, and the CPI, CPI (M) and two regional
parties viz SSP and Sikkim Prajatantrik Congress and some
unregistered party contested the elections. For contesting the
Assembly election of 1985, R.C. Paudyal's Rising Sun Party made

12
B.B Gurung worked under L.D Kazi's Sikkim National Congress in 1972 and
was elected in 1974 Assembly election of Sikkim.

Page l 47
an alliance with the National Front and the Left Front. It was for
the first time that national political parties like the Indian National
Congress, Communist party of India, Communist party of India
(Marxist) participated in Sikkim's Lok Sabha Election in 1991. The
Assembly election went in favour of the SSP which won 30 out of
the 32 seats in the state.

TABLE:3

The following table shows the party positions in the Assembly of 1985.

51. No. of No. of No. of %

Political Parties
No. Candidates elected votes

1 Communist Party of India 2 0 25 0.03

.
2 Communist Party of India [M] 1 0 336 0.35

3 Indian National Congress 32 1 23440 24.15

4 Janata Party 20 0 913 0.94

s Sikkim Prajatantrik COngress 14 0 438 0.45

6 Sikkim Sangram Parishad 32 30 60371 62.20

7 Independents 94 1 11534 11.88

Total 19S 32 97057

Source. Stat1st1cal Report, S1kk1m Leg1slat1ve Assembly Elect1on, 1985, Elect1on

Commission of India.

The party (SSP) was able to mobilise the people easily as there
was no other political party which could be an opposition to the
SSP. There was the domination of a single party in the state. This
proved to be an advantage to the party in the next state
Legislative Assembly and the 9th Lok Sabha election of 1989.
Political parties like the Indian National Congress, Rising Sun
Party, Denzong Peoples Chogpa (DCP) an unrecognised party and

Page\48
20 independent candidates contested the election. The election
results went in favour of the SSP which won all the 32 seats and
the lone Lok Sabha seat from the state.

TABLE: 4

Assembly Election 1989

Votes
51. No. of No. of Votes
Political party polled
No Candidates elected polled
in%
1 Indian National Congress 31 0 24121 18.05

2 Rising Sun Party 31 0 11472 8.59

3 Sikkim Sangram Parishad 32 32 94078 70.41

4 Denzong Peoples Chogpa 4 0 298 0.22

(unrecognised)

5 Independent 20 0 3650 2.73

Source: Statistical Report, Sikkim Legislative Assembly Election, 1989, Election

Commission of India, New Delhi.
However, Bhandari and his party (SSP) which ruled Sikkim
for eleven years soon started facing many problems and
challenges from within and also outside the party. Corruption
charges were levelled against him by the C.B.l., there were also
charges of anti-party activities by the S.P.C.C. (!) and there were
dissident activities within the party and all this led to the formation
of factions in the ruling party. 13 Bhandari lost vote of confidence in
May 1994 in Sikkim Legislative Assembly and resigned from the
government. Sanchaman Limboo became the next Chief Minister of
Sikkim on 18th May, 1994. His ministry lasted for only six months
when the general election was declared to be scheduled in

13
According to press reports, the 32 SSP MLA's were divided into three major
groups: the first one was led by Bhandari himself with 12 members, the second
was led by Pawan Chamling who had the support of 12 members and the third
was led by N.Chamla Tshering who had the support of 8 members.

Page]49
December 1994. He remained the caretaker Chief Minister from
September 1994 to 11'" December 1994. 14
In such a situation, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), a
new regional political party under Pawan Chamling was formed on
March 4th, 1993; with the aim of establishing real democracy and
safeguarding the right and interest of the Sikkimese people.

SECTION II
Emergence of the Sikkim Sang ram Parishad

In this section we deal with the emergence of the SSP as a

regional political party and its rule in Sikkim. Sikkim Sangram
Parishad was formed by Nar Bahadur Bhandari in 1984 with a
promise to protect and preserve the interests and rights of the
Sikkimese people and to work for communal harmony, national
integration, secularism and the development of Sikkim with a focus
on 'safeguarding freedom and democracy'. The party (SSP)
contested the Sikkim Legislative elections of 1985 mainly on the
following issues:

• Restoration of seat reservation: To restore and preserve, and

maintain reserved seats for Sikkimese Nepalese as originally
contained before the merger under article 371 F (f) of the
Constitution of India.

• Citizenship: The Party promised the grant of Citizenship to

those people whose names were not included in the electoral
roll of 1979 General Assembly election in Sikkim. The party
promised to declare the cut off year to 1970 and grant

14
During the rule of Sanchaman Lim boo, the central Act of OBC was enforced in
Slkklm.

Page\50
 30,000 people citizenship those were left out from the list of
electoral roll. (Sengupta, 1985).

• A son of the soil policy: To preserve local identity, to give all

government jobs and trade licence to the Sikkimese people
only.

• Constitutional recognition: Constitutional recognition to

Nepalese language in the VIII schedule of the Indian
constitution. Nepali language is commonly spoken by the
majority of the people in Sikkim.

• To alter centre-state relations: For demanding more financial

and political freedom for the states of the Indian Union and
to extend support for constitutional amendment to
materialize the concept that the state government should
continue in power at the pleasure of the Governor (SSP,
Election Manifesto, 1984).

After its formation, the Bhandari government had brought reforms

in the socio-economic condition of the Sikkimese people. During
his tenure many changes took place in Sikkim in all the fields.
Developmental activities took a new shape. Various incentives and
infrastructural developments were carried on under the SSP
government. Secretariats of District and various State Govt.
Departments, Rural Electrification Scheme at Singyang-Singdrang
village in West Sikkim, ROD complex at lorethang, State Bank of
Sikkim at Pakyong and Soreng, Pandit lawaharlal Nehru Bridge at
Melli, Akar Bridge at Jorethang were built during the Bhandari
Government.

The government followed policies for the development of the

society. It promised to safeguard the freedom and democratic
rights of the people. It promised to improve the living standard of

P a g e \ 51
 the people through poverty alleviation programmes, through
improvement in agriculture, by providing educational facilities,
health care, social welfare schemes, safe drinking water facilities,
rural electrification and rural housing schemes (Sikkim Herald, Jan.
21, Vol-27, No-2, 1984).

To improve the educational system in the state the government

promised free education, upgrade existing schools and mid day
meals for the children up to class V. Pre-matric and post-matric
scholarships to ST and SC candidates were to be provided. In the
health sector it promised to increase the number of hospitals,
primary health centres, sub-centres, and free medical facilities.
The government also promised the establishment of Old age
Homes, Disabled and Destitute Homes in the state. Roads and
bridges were to be constructed to give people easy and fast access
to communication. It promised housing loans at highly subsidised
rates and promised to impart training for capacity building and
promised skill development programmes to the unemployed people
(Sikkim Herald, Jan. 19, 1985).

The party also promised to look into matters like development

in communication (roads and bridges), health care 1 education,
agriculture and solving the unemployment problems by creating
different facilities in different sections. The party focused its
attention on the agricultural sector as well. It also gave much
attention to the grassroots (Sharma, 1999, p.279).

During the course of its rule, the government under the SSP
made attempts to fulfil the promises which it has laid down in its
party manifesto issued during the elections. The main achievement
of the government was the recognition of the Nepali language as
one of the national languages in the Eighth Schedule of thr

Pagej52
the people through poverty alleviation programmes, through
improvement in agriculture, by providing educational facilities,
health care, social welfare schemes, safe drinking water facilities,
rural electrification and rural housing schemes (Sikkim Herald, Jan.
21, Vol-27, No-2, 1984).

To improve the educational system in the state the government

promised free education, upgrade existing schools and mid day
meals for the children up to class V. Pre-matric and post-matric
scholarships to STand SC candidates were to be provided. In the
health sector it promised to increase the number of hospitals,
primary health centres, sub-centres, and free medical facilities.
The government also promised the establishment of Old age
Homes, Disabled and Destitute Homes in the state. Roads and
bridges were to be constructed to give people easy and fast access
to communication. It promised housing loans at highly subsidised
rates and promised to impart training for capacity building and
promised skill development programmes to the unemployed people
(Sikkim Herald, Jan. 19, 1985).

The party also promised to look into matters like development

in communication (roads and bridges), health care, education,
agriculture and solving the unemployment problems by creating
different facilities in different sections. The party focused its
attention on the agricultural sector as well. It also gave much
attention to the grassroots (Sharma, 1999, p.279).

During the course of its rule 1 the government under the SSP
made attempts to fulfil the promises which it has laid down in its
party manifesto issued during the elections. The main achievement
of the government was the recognition of the Nepali language as
one of the national languages in the Eighth Schedule of the

Pagej52
Constitution in 1992. 15 An attempt was also made for reservation
of seats for the Nepalese, but no solutions could be reached.
Some improvements in the agriculture sector were made in the
period from 1985-1990. Tools and fertilizers were provided which
resulted in the increase in food grains production like rice, wheat,
maize and other products. Similarly by the end of the year 1991,
22 hospitals and 37 primary health centres were established in
different villages. Free education up to college level was provided.
The number of schools in the state went up to 1286. The
government invested 27,00 Crore rupees in the field of education.
Scholarships were provided to the students studying outside the
state. Literacy rate was increased from 17.74 percent in 1971 to
34.05 percent in 1981 and 56.94 percent in 1991 (Sikkim Pragati
Paathtira, Gangtok, 24'h May, 1990).

TABLE: 5

LITERACY RATE IN SIKKIM 1971-1991

YEAR Literacy rate in Ofo

1971 17.74

1981 34.05

1991 56.94

Source. Census of IndJa, 1991

15
Umboo language was recognised as one of the official language of Sikkim in
1983.

Pagej53
 Table: 6

COMPARATIVE FIGURE OF NUMBER OF .LITERATES IN THE FOUR

DISTRICTS OF THE STATE
Persons Male Female Total Male% Female
% %

SIKKIM TOTAL 188940 117226 71714 56.94 56.94 46.76

RURAL 163092 101430 61662 44.4 51.94 35.4

URBAN 25848 15796 10052 69.85 74.69 63.4

NORTH TOTAL 13255 8690 4565 42.43 50.85 32.26

RURAL 12738 8336 4400 41.85 50.27 31.76

URBAN 517 352 165 64.38 69.29 55.93

EAST TOTAL 96279 58672 37607 53.95 61.13 45.6

RURAL 73802 45028 28774 S0.35 57.83 41.87

URBAN 22477 13644 8833 70.52 75.28 64.25

SOUTH TOTAL 43254 26923 16331 43.87 51.67 35.12

RURAL 41473 25813 15660 43.19 34.46 43.19

URBAN 1781 1110 671 68.50 63.42 68.50

WEST TOTAL 36152 22941 13211 36.82 44.77 28.16

RURAL 35079 22251 12828 36.39 44.29 27.79

URBAN 1073 690 383 60.90 68.93 50.33

Source. SIKKIM STATISTICAL PROFILE 1991-1992.

The SSP swept the assembly elections for three consecutive

terms. Several political parties existed and functioned but these
parties were engaged in solving their own problems instead of
standing as a strong opposition to the ruling party. There were
defections and dissidents in the political parties. National Political

Page ]54
parties like the CPI and the Congress (I), tried to establish their
hold in Sikkim and took an active part in the elections. Political
parties like the Rising Sun Party under R. C. Poudyal formed an
alliance with the National Front and the Left Front. Bharat Basnett
contested the election as the candidate of Indian National
Congress. For the first time in 1991, the CPI (M), a National
political party entered the electoral fray in the Lok Sabha elections
in Sikkim. The poll was won by SSP candidate D.K Bhandari with
103970 votes. Nearest to SSP was the Independent candidate Sri
Phur Tshering Lepcha with 3759 votes and the CPI (M) candidate
Duknath Nepal with 3372 votes. Out of a total of 201704
electorates, 118502 voted in the poll with 115373 valid votes and
3129 votes were rejected. It is clear from the election results that
not only in the Legislative Assembly election but also in the Lok
Sabha Elections the regional political parties have become
dominant and prominent in the state.

SSP was successful in maintaining its strong hold from 1984-

1989 as it was the only regional political party in the state which
represented the people of all sections of society. But after his
victory in 1989 Bhandari became quite different than what he was
earlier. He was more powerful and confident and somewhat
authoritative and autocratic. He wanted complete submission to
his authority and did not tolerate any kind of dissension and
criticism from both within and outside the party. The right to Press
was curtailed, there were assaults, threats and constant pressure
on press and the media and there was use of force and
commandos to suppress the opposition in the state. 16 In June
1993, the leaders of the Opposition Political Parties like Biraj

15
In October, 1994, Amnesty International Report entitled "India" and sub-titled
"Sikkim: Torture of an opposition politician" highlighted the details on how
Bhandari government tortured political leaders in the state.

Page ISS
Adhikari was illegally detained and tortured. According to
newspaper report of Sikkim Express, dated November, 3, 1990,
Hem Lal\ Bhandari, Convener, Citizens for Democracy 1 was
physically assaulted by a group of persons allegedly belonging to
the ruling party. In October 12, 1991 the state unit of the
Congress (I) alleged that the judiciary in the state is thoroughly
corrupt and functions under the dictates of the Chief Minister, Nar
Bahadur Bhandari. The party unit presented a memorandum to
Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh during his
visit to Sikkim. A. K Subba, President of the SPCC (I) said that
justice is being denied to the people as the judiciary is completely
dominated by the government. The Bhandari government ruled
Sikkim in an undemocratic manner due to the fact that in Sikkim
there was an absence of strong and effective opposition.

One of the main reasons for a setback to Bhandari government

was that it failed to implement the recommendation of the Mandai
Commission to include various communities like Rai, Bhujel,
Manger, Gurung etc. in the list of Other Backward Classes. Pawan
Chamling, one of his cabinet colleagues strongly opposed Bhandari
on the OBC issue. He blamed Bhandari for not taking interest in
implementing the OBC system in Sikkim. Objecting the move
made by the ruling government regarding the implementation of
Mandai Commission Report, Pro- Mandai Commission Body headed
by Chandra Das Rai was formed. The body opposed as it feels that
the government rejected the report as Newars, Bahuns and Chettri
were excluded from the list (Sikkim Observer, Oct, 13, Vol. V, No.
12, 1990). Despite the fact that the SSP ruled the state and
certain progress was made, certain developments and
achievements in the state fractions erupted in the party. The
Bhandari government was levelled with corruption charges. The
decision to register criminal cases against Bhandari came during a

Page !56
meeting held in the former Chief Minister B. B. Gurung's residence
on May 19th, 1984 (Gaunley, 2002). Many cases against Bhandari
were registered. Several corruption cases against Bhandari were
registered in February, 1986. For example, the case relating to
contract of water supply in rural areas was registered. In this
Bhandari gave the contract to his party men and not to the people
at the lowest level. The second corruption case was against the
construction of houses in Gangtok and Rani pool, East Sikkim.

The Denzong Sherpa Association was dissatisfied with the state

government regarding the transfer of land belonging to the
Sherpa's in the state. Association President Passang Sherpa said
that the Sherpa's were declared Scheduled Tribes under the
Constitution (Sikkim) Scheduled Tribes Order, 1978 but they do
not enjoy the same privileges enjoyed by the Bhutia-Lepcha
Tribal's regarding transfer of land. Besides this, the Sherpa's are
also feeling aggrieved over non-representation of their community
in the state Legislative Assembly even though 12 of the 32 seats in
the Assembly are reserved for the tribal's. The Association
challenged the Sikkim Transfer of land (Regulation) Bill, 1989,
stating that the provisions of the Bill is inconsistent with the 1978
Scheduled Tribes Order. (Sikkim Observer, Oct, 8, 1990. The
Bhandari government was accused by the state unit of Congress
(I) of inflicting communal tensions and dividing the Sikkimese
people on ethnic lines. James Basnet, Member of Sikkim Pradesh
Congress Special Committee (!), "the SSP government is
spreading communal and casteism trend among a handful of
Sikkimese people who had lived for ages.

In the press release in April 13, 1991, the Congress(!) which

was a strong opposition to the ruling SSP in the state demanded
the resignation of the CM, Nar Bahadur Bhandari as the ruling

Pagel57
party failed to maintain law and order in the state. A Joint Action
Committee was formed by the leader of all the opposition political
parties against SSP rule in Sikkim. Considering the complete
failure of constitutional machinery in the state and because of the
series of repressive measures adopted by the SSP government,
the leaders of the opposition political parties unanimously
constituted the Joint Action committee (JAC) in June 1993,
consisting of several political parties and organizations functioning
in the state for the restoration of democracy, preservation of the
constitution and for rule of law. The parties and organisations were
the following:

• Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), a registered and

recognized opposition party.

• Congress (!)

• Communist party of India (Marxist)

• Citizens for democracy, Sikkim

• A Human rights organisation in Sikkim.

(Gaunley, 2002, p. 423)

The JAC mobilised public opinion and tried to seek the support of
the people and democratic organizations for the realisation of the
following demands:

• Unconditional release of all the opposition leaders and

workers of the aforesaid parties and withdrawal of illegal
warrants issued by the government against the prominent
leaders.

Page]58
 • The Joint Action Committee demanded the immediate
withdrawal of political leaders and persecution of the leaders
of the opposition political parties and other organisations.

• Restoration of democracy and the preservation of the

Constitution and the rule of law.

• Imposition of President's rule in Sikkim by invoking article

356 of the Constitution.

The Joint Action Committee resolved to launch a peaceful

movement for the realization of these demands both inside and
outside Sikkim. The Committee issued a press release in June,
1993 and declared that the government led by the SSP has been
ruling Sikkim in an undemocratic manner for the past thirteen
years. It has persistently denied the political and democratic rights
of the people and suppressed the voice of all opposition parties in
the state and also the mass media (Gaunley, 2002).

JAC appealed to all the democratic organisations and

associations in Sikkim to join hands with the JAC and cooperate in
the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Sikkim. Describing
the N. B. Bhandari's ministry as a "Dictatorial Regime" the party
leaders said the people had been denied the rights to form trade
unions, hold public meetings and rallies to express their
resentment over the misrule (Gopal, 2002, p. 425).

Pawan Chamling, a cabinet minister strongly opposed Bhandari

in the Assembly mainly on the OBC issue and the mal-
administration of the state. On 16 July, 1992, Chamling was
dismissed from the cabinet. The political climate dramatically
changed in Sikkim with the dismissal of Cham ling from the cabinet
as well as from the party. For the first time in many years an
alternative to Bhandari was seen. Chamling was seen as a man of

Pagel59
good rapport with the masses and was able to capture the
Imagination of the people and make the right moves. He was a
man able to become a leader in his own making.

SECTION III
The Initial Success of the Sikkim Democratic
Front

In this section we analyse the origin and growth of the SDF as a

regional political party. The section also looks at its initial success
in the state after its formation.

In 1993, as we have stated earlier a new political turmoil took

place in Sikkim. Pawan Chamling was dismissed from the party
and the cabinet. Chamling was a Minister in the Bhandari
Government." He was dismissed on the ground that he opposed
the ruling government for its misgovernment and anti-people
activity in the state. Meanwhile the opposition groups in the state
charged the government with many corruption cases, anti-
democratic and anti-people activities in the state. Dismissal from
the (SSP} was a blessing in disguise for Chamling. In a
conversation with the party workers Chamling said that he wanted
to be free from the ruling party (Bali,2003).

After his dismissal, Chamling travelled to different parts of

the state and met people from different walks of life. After meeting
the people, he claimed that the people felt that there was a need
for a new leader and new party which would be an alternative to
Bhandari. He further felt that it was the people those who wanted

17
Pawan Chamling was a Minister for Industries, Printing and Information and
Public Relations under Bhandari led SSP Government.

Page \60
a new leader who would drive Sikkim into a new progressive
dimension. With the aim of establishing democratic principles,
Pawan Chamling formed a new political party- "SJKKJM
DEMOCRATIC FRONT" on March 4th, 1993, with the following aims
and objectives. These objectives were spelt out in the constitution
of the party

The party declares that the SDF is a political party within the
meaning and provisions of the Representation of People's
(Amendment) Act, 1988 and states that the aims and objectives of
the party shall be as follows:

a) SDF shall bear true faith and allegiance to the sacred

constitution of India as by law established and to the
principles of Socialism and Democracy and shall uphold the
Sovereignty, Unity and Integrity of the Indian Union.

b) It shall fight to uphold the political, social and economic

rights and privileges of the Indian constitution.

c) It shall strive hard for the uplift of the socially and

economically backward sections of the people of Sikkim.

d) Sikkim Democratic Front shall ceaselessly work to promote

peace, progress and communal harmony among the people
of Sikkim and shall make utmost endeavour to promote
fraternity tolerance and harmony with all other communities
of our country.

e) The party is committed to give equal opportunity to all

Sikkimese people and shall ceaselessly work for the
emancipation and uplift of Sikkimese women and other
sections of the oppressed people.

P a g e \ 61
 f) The party shall be ever ready to fight against all forces that
threaten to disrupt the unity and integrity of the nation.

g) While giving due recognition to the principle of human

dignity, this party shall pledge to fight against all kinds of
injustice and inequality perpetrated on the ground of caste,
creed, religion and gender.

h) The party shall specially not yield back from working for the
interest and welfare of the backward and depressed
communities, constitutional rights of the scheduled castes,
scheduled tribes and other backward classes and security
and prosperity of the entire Sikkimese people.

i) The party is committed to uphold, preserve and promote the

age old traditions, customs and rich cultural heritage of
different ethnic communities of the state who have been
living in perfect communal harmony down the ages.

j) The party holds enduring faith in the "Son of Sikkim" policy

and sincerely safeguard the interest of the Sikkimese people.

k) SDF shall tirelessly wage a struggle against poverty, illiteracy

and internal backwardness in the state and work justly for
the poor and depressed people of Sikkim.

I) The party is predetermined to bring upon improvement in

the existing situation In Sikkim and will resort to all possible
means to raise the average condition of Sikkimese of all
levels so as to make them educationally, socially and above
all, economically self-reliant and self-sufficient (SDF,
Constitution, 13 May, 1993).

The Sikkim Democratic Front born on March 4th, 1993, aimed

mainly at changing the social and political life of Sikkim. Its main

Page\62
objective was to fight against the anti-people policies pursued by
the SSP government and replace it by a pro-poor policy and
programmes (Bali, 2003). The first priority in Chamling's political
agenda was to restore the lost identity of the Sikkimese people
and the economic and political development of the OBC's in
Sikkim. The party was committed to restoring and strengthening
the principles of democracy in the state. It also committed itself
towards eradicating poverty in all forms. It also promised
decentralisation and also promised for safeguarding the economic
interest and well being of the deprived sections. Freedom of the
press was also a promise of the new party. The party promised to
safeguard the cultural, social and constitutional law of the
Sikkimese people (Bali, 2003).

For the peaceful co-existence and friendly relations with the

centre, the party promised to promote national and emotional
integration of the Sikkimese people. The issue of women
empowerment was raised for the first time which gave due honour
and dignity to the women. With the pro-democracy and pro-poor
policy of the party, it started getting support from all parts of the
state. In the Party Literature, Part I, Sikkim Democratic Front,
1993 it mentioned the need for party education and the worker to
understand that the party is a new form of party which enjoined
upon its workers to be active and develop a sound moral character
(Bali, 2003).

After its formation on the 1" of May, 1993, the party celebrated
the Labour Day at Maniram Bhanjyang, South Sikkim. The party
promised to stand for labourer's right, welfare and safeguard of
the working people because these working people earned their
living by labour. It was able to hold public meetings in different
parts of Sikkim. The first public meeting was held at Jorethang, a

Pagel63
gateway to south and west Sikkim in April 18, 1993. Despite the
ruling party's effort to stop the SDF meeting large number of
people attended the meeting. Subsequently public meetings were
held at Rabongla, Soreng and Rhenock in the three districts of the
state.

The party formed several frontal organisations and Committees

within the party for its functioning. The party (SDF) formed and
had the following committees:

• All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee.

• Central Working Committee.

• District Committees.

• Constituency Level Committees.

• Block Level Committees.

To the party, the All Sikkim Democratic Front Committees shall

have sixteen hundred members including the members of Central
Waking Committee. As per the Constitution the committee shall
meet at least once a year and such meetings will be convened,
conducted and presided over by the party President. The meeting
can also bring necessary amendment or improvement in its
policies as per the need of the changing time. It is compulsory that
all concerned members should attend the meeting. The party
President may call for an emergency meeting of the committee.

The Constitution provides for that there shall be 1600 members

of the All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee including the
President1 Vice President, General Secretary, Office Bearers, and
50 members each from different constituency besides Office
Bearers of the Central Working Committee.

Page ]64
The Central Working Committee is constituted of the following
office bearers:

i. President 01

ii. Vice President 08

iii. General Secretary 10

iv. Joint Secretary 10

v. Publicity Secretary OS

vi. Treasurer 01

vii. Asst. Treasurer 01

viii. 2 Representatives from each district 08

ix. Executive members 14

Total 58

The central Working Committee consists of the representatives

from among the members of All Sikkim Democratic Front
Committees. The committee is headed by the party president who
has the special power to nominate members for the Central
Working Committee. All the meetings of the Central Working
Committee shall be convened and presided over by the President
and in his absence by the Vice-President (Party Constitution,
Sikkim Democratic Front, 1993, p.6). The committee shall meet at
least once in three months and the President may call for an
emergency meeting under special circumstances by giving 24 hour
notice to each members. The Central Waking Committee takes the
decision to hold the party convention and makes all necessary
arrangements.

Pagel65
 The Central Working Committee has some important powers
and functions. The following are its powers and functions:

• The committee has the responsibility of formulating all

policies of the party and accomplishment of its aim and
objectives.
• The committee, by following the party policies, can make
necessary amendments and changes to the prevalent
customary rules and regulations.
• The committee shall prepare the annual report of Sikkim
Democratic Front and present it for the approval of the front
committees.
• The committee shall have the responsibility of conducting
day-to-day affairs of the party and smooth functioning and
maintaining discipline within the party.

District Working Committee: As per the Constitution each district

of the state shall have the District Working Committee with the
following office bearers:

One ( 1) District President

Two {2) District Vice Presidents

One (1) District General Secretary

One (1) District Joint Secretary

One (1) District Publicity Secretary

One ( 1) District Treasurer

Twenty-five (25) District Executive members

The District President is appointed by the party President. The

other office bearers are appointed by the President of the party in
consultation with the Central Working Committee and District

Pagel66
President. The District Working Committee holds office for a
period of three years and the party President shall have the power
to dissolve the committee before its term.

The District Working Committee has the following powers and

functions. It is stated that:

• The committee shall look after the working and organisation

of party within the district.

• With the consultation of the Central Working Committee, the

District Committee shall constitute the Block Level
Committee in all the districts of the state.

• It shall prepare and safely keep the district level documents

of the party.

• The committee will follow the orders and advice of the

Central Working Committee and the Constituency level
Committee.

• It shall submit applications for the party membership to the

president for its approval.

• It shall renew the party membership in consultation with the

Central Working Committee and collect annual membership
fee by issuing proper receipts.

• The District Working Committee shall meet once in every two

months. It is compulsory for one-third members to attend
the meeting.

The party also has Constituency Level Committee. The Constitution

of the party (SDF) 1993 lay down that the party shall have
Constituency Level Committees. The president shall be appointed
by the president of the party in consultation with the respective

Page\67
district Presidents. The total number of members will be based on
the number of Block Level Committees in the constituency. The
lowest Level of committee is the Block Level Committee. The
constitution lay down that all the rural areas in Sikkim shall have
Block Level Committee with the following office bearers:

i) One President
ii) Two vice-President
iii) Two Secretary
iv) Four Joint Secretaries
v) One Treasurer
vi) Twenty executive members.

These office bearers are appointed with the consultation of the

Central Working Committee; District Working Committee is given
the power to constitute Block Level Committee with the consent of
the Central Working Committee for the term of two years.

The Sikkim Democratic Front has frontal organisations which

are directly under the control of the party President. These are
Women Wing, Youth Front, Labour Front, Students Front,
Cultivators Front, Schedule Tribe Welfare Front, Ex-Service Front
and Schedule Caste Welfare Front. The party was able to make a
direct contact with the people through these fronts. The
Constitution of the party lay down that these frontal organisations
will serve to represent the Sikkimese people who live below the
poverty line. The power and functions of all these frontal
organisations are determined by the Central Working Committee
from time to time. The President of the party has the power to
dissolve any frontal organisation to safeguard the interest of the
party (Party Constitution, SDF, 1993, pp.19-20).

Page \68
 The inspiring leadership of Pawan Chamling who claimed that
his principal objective was to develop Sikkim and uplift the poor,
deprived and the disadvantaged section of the society was the
main factor behind the party's initial success in Sikkim. SDF came
to power in December 1994 after receiving an overwhelming
support from the people who had laid their complete faith on the
new party. The party established frontal organisations like women
wing, youth wing, schedule tribe fronts etc. which helped the party
in conducting party meetings in different parts of the state and
more precisely these organs helped in the election campaigning's
during the Assembly elections in the state.

The earlier government had deprived the rights of some

sections of the society. The communities like Rai, Mangar, Gurung,
Bhujel etc, were not included in the OBC list as per the
recommendatios of the Mandai Commission. SDF promised in its
election manifesto that it would safeguard the rights of the people
and include these groups in the OBC list. The new party was
successful in convincing the people that the party will strive to
uplift socially and economically backward sections of the society.

As an opposition leader, Chamling was successful in

exposing the failures and weaknesses of the ruling party and its
leaders. With Chamling's opposition in between 1992-1994, the
Assembly was a forum of debate. He said that, 'Till today Bhandari
spoke and the Sikkimese people listened. Now it is the time that
Sikkimese people spoke and Bhandari listened' (Bali, 2003, p.125).
He relentlessly worked towards educating and training the people
to stand, speak and safeguard their freedom and democracy.
These included training the people for participation in the
democratic system and make the people conscious of their
democratic rights and duties.

Pagel69
 Chamling became the first politician in the state to coin the
slogan "Janta ko Raj ma Jantai Raja". The slogan gave the people
the feeling of empowerment. He was successful in getting massive
support to stand against the ruling government. In its first election
manifesto of the Assembly election of 1994, the SDF promised to
safeguard the democratic rights of the people and promised to give
political, social and economic justice to the people. The party
claimed that in Sikkim freedom of press and media was under the
control of the Bhandari government so the party promised to
restore the constitutional rights of the press and restore back the
freedom of speech and Rule of Law.

The party in its initial stage was successful in conducting

party meetings in all the four districts of the state. After its
formation the first party meeting was held at Jorethang in 1993.
Then party meetings were held at Rabongla in the South district,
Soreng in the west district and Rhenock in the east district. The
party was able to establish strong party offices in all the four
districts of the state. The party formed Committees at the district
level, constituency level and at block level in the four districts of
the state. Right from the beginning the party could maintain
frontal organisations like Youth wing, Women's wing of the party
which helped in convincing the people and enabling party policies
and messages reach the rural people in the state. The committees
paved the way for greater participation of the people at all levels
from district to the rural level. The Committee system was absent
in the organisation and functioning of other political parties in
Sikkim.

The Bhandari government was charged with various

corruption cases by the C.B.I and the government was challenged
by the opposition political parties for its anti- democratic and anti-

Page 170
people activities in the state. The Joint Action Committee (JAC)
was formed in June 1993 under the leadership of SDF. The JAC
mobilised public opinion and tried to seek the support of the
people to end the long and undemocratic rule of Nar Bahadur
Bhandari in Sikkim. The SDF promised to replace the anti-people
policies of SSP with its Pro- people policy and programmes. And
with this despite the fact that the party (SDF) was only one and
half year old, it could win support of the people which helped it in
capturing 19 seats out of a total 32 seats in the Assembly election
of 1994.

After its formation the party for the first time participated in
the Assembly elections of 1994 in the state. There were six
political parties that competed. Among the national political
parties it was the BJP, Congress (!), and CPM and the regional
political parties like Revolutionary Socialist Party ( RSP), Sikkim
Sangram Parishad (SSP) and the newly formed registered
(unrecognised) party, Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) contested
the election.

As per the report BJP contested 3 seats but won none, CPM
contested 2 seats and also won no seats, Congress (I) contested
31 seats and secured only 2 seats from Dzongu constituency in
north district and the Sangha seat. Among the regional parties,
RSP contested 11 seats and won no seats, SSP contested 31 seats
and secured 10 seats from Tashiding consituency and Soreng
constituency in west district and Rakdong Tentek in north district
and the rest seven constituencies from east district. These
constituencies are Rehnock, Pathing, Martam, Rumtek, Assam-
Ungjey, Ranka and Gangtok constituencies. There were 76
independent candidates who contested the election, out of which
only one from Yoksum constituency in west district won the

Page 171
election. Except for three seats won by Congress (!) and
Independent, and two seats in west district by SSP, all the
remaining constituencies in west district and all south district was
won by the SDF. The SDF won from two constituencies in north
district namely; Lachen- Mangshila and Kabi Tintek and won from
three constituencies in the east district; Central Pendam- East
Pendam 1 Regu, Loosing Pachekhani and Khamdong constituencies.
Thus, it is clear that the newly born political party-SDF won the
elections and formed the government in December, 1994.

The following table shows the performance of the party in the

election of 1994.

Table: 7

Assembly Election 1994

No. of No. Of No. of Votes %of votes

Political Party
Candidates Elected secured secured
Bharatiya 03 00 274 0.16
Janata Party
" (BJP)
Communist 02 00 270 0.16
Party of India
(CPJ) M
Indian 31 02 26045 15.02
National
Congress
Revolutionary 11 00 2906 1.68
Socialist party
Sikkim 32 19 72856 42.00
Democratic
Front
Sikkim 31 10 60851 35.08
Sang ram
Parishad
Independents 76 01 10255 5.91

Total 186 32 173457

Source. Stat1St1cal Report, S1kk1m Leg1slat1Ve Assembly Election, 1994, ElectiOn

Commission of India.

Page 172
 CHAPTER II
THE ELECTORAL PROMISES AND
POPULISM OF THE SIKKIM
DEMOCRATIC FRONT

The Chapter seeks to answer the question, what are the different
promises which the party has made for winning elections since
1994 and maintaining its dominant position in the politics of the
State? We look into the promises of the SDF because the party has
used promises as an important part of its strategy for the purpose
of winning elections and remain in power. The chapter also looks
at whether the promises are a part of electoral populism which the
party has used in order to mobilize support. The chapter is divided
into two sections. Section I discusses the promises of the SDF as a
part of its electoral strategy for winning elections and maintaining
its dominance in the state and Section II looks at how populism is
used by the SDF as a part of its strategy to come to power and be
in power. The sections are further divided into sub-sections.

SECTION I
Electoral Promises of the Sikkim Democratic
Front

We have seen in the first chapter that the SDF as a regional

political party in Sikkim arouse as a reaction against the Sikkim
Sangram Parishad (SSP) government, which was in power in
Sikkim since 1984. The SDF was formed as a sole opposition and
was of the opinion that the SSP government was ruling in an

Page \73
undemocratic manner. The arrest and torture of political leaders
like Biraj Adhikari, Dhan Raj Tamang, Dharma Dutta Sharma and
temporal closures of some of the newspapers like "The Observer"
shows that freedom of speech and expression did not actually
prevail in Sikkim (Kazi,1993).

SDF felt in the beginning that the people of Sikkim were in

search of an alternative to the Bhandari (SSP) led government
with a new leader and a new party who would lead Sikkim into a
new progressive dimension. The SDF started with the slogan that it
is interested in making Sikkim a "New Sikkim and Happy Sikkim".
This was its initial slogan and the party was able to win people's
trust and won the Assembly election of 1994 with 19 seats out of a
total of 32 seats in the state.

The political parties like the Congress (!), Rising Sun,

Communist party of India (CPI), Bharatiya Janata Party, and
Revolutionary Socialist Party contested the election of 1994 but
the main contest was between the SSP and the SDF. The Sikkim
Sangram Parishad government was charged by the opposition
parties namely the Congress 'I', Sikkim Democratic Front,
Communist Party of India (Marxist) and by Organizations like the
Citizens for Democracy, Sikkim and A Human Rights Organisation
in Sikkim, that the state was being ruled in an undemocratic
manner. The arrest and torture of political leaders like Biraj
Adhikari, Dhan Raj Tamang on B'" December, 1993, Duknath Nepal
a member of the CPI(M), Sikkim state organizing Committee on
24'" October, 1992, Dharma Dutta Sharma, a local Congress (I)
activist on February, 1988, Hem Lall Bhandari, practicing
Sikkimese lawyer, Rajender Baid, editor of a Hindi daily- "Janpath
Samachar" in November 1991 all proved that the government of
the Sikkim Sangram Parishad under Nar Bahadur Bhandari used

Page I 74
repressive measures and curtailed democratic rights of the people
(Gaunley, 2002).

The "Amnesty International" article entitled 'India' and

subtitled "Sikkim", 'Torture of an opposition politician', dated
October, 1994 published from London made an inquiry into how
opposition leaders and politicians were tortured and humiliated by
the government led by N. B. Bhandari. The article stated that the
SSP rule was undemocratic and many treason, atrocities, killings
torture of opposition leaders was taking place. The press went for
temporary closures from time to time due to the pressure put by
the government. Mal-administration and communalism was the
common criticism against the ruling SSP government. As a result
of all these CBI cases were initiated against the Chief Minister N.
B. Bhandari regarding his house at Ranipool 1 New Delhi, Land at
Tadong, NamNang 1 Mini palace at Church road, Arithang houses at
Gangtok Bazar1 Sangram Bhawan, Pines Printer established in
1980 at his residence and many other private companies owned by
Bhandari which were registered in different people's names
(Gaunley, 2002, p. 19). All these factors led to the urgency for the
formation of a strong opposition political party which could change
the political scenario of Sikkim. A Joint Action Committee (JAC)
was formed by political parties like the Sikkim Democratic Front,
Congress (!), Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India
(Marxist) and organizations like Citizens for Democratic Human
Rights Organization in Sikkim which opposed the ruling
government under Sikkim Sangram Parishad. Faced with
opposition from all sides, the Sikkim Sangram Par/shad ultimately
lost its long preserved position of fourteen (14) years in Sikkim.

SDF as a new regional political party aimed at restoring

rights and privileges of the people and fight against the unjust

Page I 75
regime. The party felt that even though democracy was implanted
in Sikkim since its merger with the Indian Union in 1975, many of
the basic democratic rights, values and principles had been
eroded. The party, therefore, wants to strengthen the democratic
principles enshrined in the Constitution of India. It claimed that the
Sikkim Democratic Party is interested in re-orienting the economic
and social policies in the state.

To make Sikkim 'New and Happy Sikkim' the party promised

certain things which can be categorized into Political Promises,
Economic Promises, Social Welfare Promises and Educational
Promises. In the sub-sections below we discuss this.

POLITICAL PROMISES

The Political promises which the SDF made can be further divided
into two sub categories. There were in fact two components of
this; the promise of democracy and the promise of
decentralization.

Democracy: The first election contested by the party was the

Assembly Election•held in December 1994. In its party manifesto
the party claimed that the party's first and foremost aim was the
safeguard of democracy. Adding to it, the party promised to give
political, social and economic justice to the people (SDF, Election
Manisfesto, 1994).

Criticizing the SSP rule, the party said that democracy was
absent in Sikkim under the government of Nar Bahadur Bhandari.
The Chief Minister of Sikkim was accused of corruption charges by
B.B Gurung in 1984. B.B Gurung was from the Indian National
Congress. In this he sought the help of the Congress government
at the centre. As a result 1 the democratic set up was disturbed in
the state. Political and economic rights of the people were denied

Pagel76
and the voice of all the opposition parties in the state was also
suppressed by the government (Kazi, 1993, pp.173-175).

The party felt that the fourth estate of democracy, freedom

of press and media were under the control of the government.
Right to "Freedom of Speech" was not allowed under the ruling
government (Kazi, 1993). The party thus, promised to restore the
constitutional rights of the press and restore back freedom of
Speech and Rule of Law as far as the views and opinions were
constructive. The party unlike SSP supported more freedom of
expression and opinion.

On 21" July, 1993, the Chief Minister N. B. Bhandari

emphasized on imposing central income tax rule in Sikkim
(Sharma, 1996). The Sikkim Democratic Front opposed the
extension and enforcement of Central Direct Tax laws in Sikkim
because the extension and enforcement of such laws was in
violation of the merger agreement enshrined in Article 371(f). 18

18
The provisions of article 371{f) relating to Sikkim reveal the following
noteworthy features:
1. Allotment of not less than 30 members which should have been according to
article 170 of the constitution of India, not less than 60 members.
2. The members of Legislative Assembly elected in 1974 to continue after the
merger till1979.
3. Maintenance of party/reserved seats for the three ethnic communities in
Sikkim Legislative Assembly.
4. The Governor of Sikkim vested with special responsibility for the maintenance
of peace and for equitable arrangement form ensuring social and economic
advancement of different sections to the population. The Governor of Sikkim is
subject to such direction as the President of India from time to time deem fit to
issue.
5. Property and assets previously vested in the government of Sikkim or any
authority under it within and outside Sikkim came to be vested with the
Government of Sikkim.
6. While the existing laws of Sikkim will remain in force, they will subject to
such modification and amendment as the president of India may deem
necessary to introduce by order issued within 2 years from the date of merger.
Similarly he may by public notification extend to Sikkim with necessary
modifications any enactment which is in force in other states of India.
7. These provisions were made effective in Sikkim with effect from 26th April,
1975 (Lama, 1994)

Page [77
 The party also promised for the complete safeguard of
Sikkimese rules and traditions and Rule of Law (SDF, Election
manifesto, 1994, p.3). After the state's merger with the Indian
Union in 1975, many people from the surrounding states like West
Bengal and Nepal started entering into the state as traders and in
search of employment. The party, thus, felt that it was necessary
to maintain the identity of the Sikkimese people and protect its
long cherished traditions and rule of Law. The party also felt that
the earlier government (SSP) adopted a hostile attitude towards
the Central government and other regions of the country. The
party in this regard promised to promote national and emotional
integration with the center (Gaunley, 2002).

The SDF promised the inclusion of Umboo and Tamang

community in the Tribal list and Rai, Gurung, Manger, Bhuje\,
Sunwar in the OBC list (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1994, p.3.) The
SDF stated that the government under Sikkim Sangram Parishad
had refused to implement the recommendation of the Mandai
Commission regarding the inclusion of Rai, Gurung, Manger, Bhujel
and Sunwar in the OBC category in 1987. Therefore the Sikkim
Democratic Front promised to grant the right of these communities
of the society which was denied by the government of Nar Bahadur
Bhandari.

Sikkim mainly constitutes of three ethnic groups- Bhutia,

Lepcha, Nepali. The languages of these three groups are mainly
spoken in Sikkim. 19 The party in order to protect and promote the
languages of the two ethnic groups; Bhutia and Lepcha promised
to forward proposals to the central government for the inclusion of

1
gNepali language received the constitutional recognition and is included in the
Eighth Schedule of the Constitution on 20th August 1992.

Pagej78
these languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution
(SDF, Election manifesto, 1998, p.6 & 1999, p. 7).

Referring to article 371(f) and the 8th May Agreement, the

party promised to preserve the rights of the Nepali and Tsang in
the Sikkim Legislative Assembly (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1994,
p.3; SDF, Election Manifesto, 1999, p.2; SDF, Election Manifesto,
2004, p.8). 20 The party also promised that it will safe-guard the
constitutional rights of all Sikkimese tribal's and Schedule Castes
in the state. The party felt it necessary to protect their rights as
these sections of society are the minority groups in the state (SDF,
Election Manifesto, 1994 & 1998).

Till date Sikkim has only one representative in the Indian

Parliament, so to increase the number of representatives in the
parliament from one to two and to have more representative of
Sikkim the party in its election manifesto of 12th Lok Sabha
Election, 1998 promised to make and raise the proposal in the
parliament. For greater participation at the national level the party
promised more integration of the state with central government
(SDF, Election Manifesto, p.4, 1998; SDF, Election Manifesto,
2004, p.S).

The party pledged to include Gurung, Rai, Manger, Sunwar,

Thami, Jogi, Dewan in the tribal category. 21 The party promised
reservation of seats for the Tamang and Limboo communities in
the state Legislative Assembly. And it also promised to include
Chettri, Bhaun, Newar, Sanyasi in the OBC category (SDF, Election
Manifesto, 2004, p.6-7).

20
The seats for Nepali and Tsang were reserved till1979. It was removed by Bill No.79, Act
No.8, 1980.
21
Tamang and Limboo were included in this category in 2003.

Pagel79
 Referring to Article 371 (f), the party promised to protect the
identity of the ethnic groups in the state. The party promised to
give preference and first priority to the Sikkimese people who are
Sikkim subjects in the government jobs and other fields. It also
promised to protect the rights and welfare of the employees in
Sikkim from outside Sikkim (SDF, Election Manifesto, p.25, 1999 &
SDF, Election Manifesto p.4, 2004). In its election manifesto of
1994, the party pledged to protect old laws of Sikkim and Revenue
Order No.1 (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1994, p.3.)

The Old Laws of Sikkim includes:

• The registration of land belonging to Bhutia and Lepcha of

Sikkim cannot be transferred to other communities of
Sikkim and outside Sikkim, except the land can be given
under the lease system.

• Reservation of seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

The old laws include the preservation of one Sangha seat
(seat reserved for monks of different monasteries in
22
Sikkim). It also promised twelve Bhutia- Lepcha seats
belonging to the Bhutia and Lepcha Community.

• In Sikkim there are restricted areas like Dzongu in north

Sikkim meaning the Land of Lepchas. No Sikkimese other
than Lepchas can enter this particular area without inner
line permit from the concerned authority.

• The old laws also include the restriction upon the

purchase of land and property in Sikkim by a non-local in
his/her name directly.

n Sangha seat is the seat reserved for the Buddhist Lamas (monks) and nuns in
which only they have the right to elect their representative in the 32 member
Assembly in the state. The monks can cast their vote from their respective
assembly constituencies in a separate ballot box.

Page ISO
 • On the basis of Sikkim Domicile, the local Sikkimese
people are given job opportunities in the state. Non-local
people from other states who do not possess Sikkim
Domicile are not entitled to sit for the interview in regular
government jobs in Sikkim.

Politically the SDF promised to restore democracy in the

state. To it the earlier government had failed to safeguard the
democratic rights of the Sikkimese people. The SDF, thus pledged
to restore democracy and protect the old laws and traditions of
Sikkim. The party claimed that the identity of the ethnic groups in
the state was in danger and hence it promised to protect the
identity of these groups by promoting their language and script.

THE PROMISE OF DECENTRALISATION OF POWER

In examining the evolution and role of Panchayati Raj institution in

Sikkim, it can be said that Local Area Panchayat was introduced in
1950. This enabled the formation of village Panchayats at the local
level on election basis but this failed in its functioning. The second
attempt was made in 1965 by passing the Sikkim Panchayat Act,
which implemented the Block Panchayat at village level. This Block
Panchayat continued till 1981. The Block level Panchayats were
vested with the responsibility of looking at the development of
agriculture, agricultural farms, food campaign, dairy farming,
minor irrigation, promote of cottage industry, welfare works like
construction of public toilets, sanitation, health, women and child
welfare, maintenance of school, water supply and organization of
community program in the village.

Despite these long listed functions, Panchayats actually did

not perform such functions. Their role was confined to placing of
demands to the government and nominating the contractor for the

Pagel81
implementation of minor schemes. The Panchayat institution
served as a facade of democracy rather than effective popular
participation. Hence, it was clear that developmental role of
Panchayats was more on paper than in practice.

The Panchayat Act 1982 introduced the two tier Panchayati Raj
System with Gram Panchayat at the block level and Zilla
Panchayat at the district level. The Panchayat Act of 1982 provides
the panchayat's with the functions like sanitation, drainage, supply
of drinking water, welfare etc. A study was conducted in the year
1985 on Local Self Government and Democratic Decentralization in
Sikkim. In the report of the study it stated that the Panchayati Raj
institution in Sikkim is still lagging behind in taking up the
responsibilities of development and popular participation. The
panchayat's should be involved not only in identification of
problems but also in the formulation, implementation, monitoring
and evolution of the state plan.

The Sikkim Democratic Front regarded Panchayati Raj

Institution as the basis of democratic decentralisation and
promised to take steps for strengthening these institutions and
establish institutions where they don't exist and provide necessary
administrative and financial resources for their functioning. To
make Panchayati Raj Institutions more effective, the Panchayat
elections were held on party lines and a provision of honorarium to
the Panchayat members was made. Chamling also promised the
appointment of Panchayat Assistants to advice the Panchayat's to
conduct local survey, collect data for village plan and for overall
socio-economic development of Sikkim were promised (SDF,
Election Manifesto, Panchayat Election, 1997).

The Sikkim Democratic Front alleged that though Panchayati

Raj Institutions prevailed in the state since 1950's, the actual

Page 182
decentralisation of power was not done. It alleged that the Sikkim
Sangram Parishad government had minimized the powers and
functions of the Panchayat's and other local self institutions. The
Sikkim Democratic Front, therefore, promised that decentralisation
of powers will be done in Sikkim. It promised that in all gram
Panchayat's the Panchayat's will be empowered to decide and
implement plans. The Zilla Panchayat's will be enabled to debate
on the district plans and programme's the works of villages to be
done by the villagers themselves. For this, the party further stated
that, the public works of Rs. 5 lakhs will be given to the
Panchayat's and it will be raised to Rs. 10 lakh on recommendation
of Gram Sabha (Election Manifesto, Panchayat Election, SDF,
2002, p.12).

The party also promised that it will give responsibility to the

Panchayat's over ruling and maintaining all government
institutions like-Primary Schools, Primary Health Centers 1 Public
Libraries, Community Information Centre, grounds for sports, rural
tourism and giving recommendation for the issuance of domicile
and trade license (Election Manifesto, SDF, 1997, p.6, 2004, P.3).
Following its promise, the Panchayat election was held on party
lines for the first time in Sikkim in 1997. It held that in order to
guide and help the Panchayat's public libraries will be opened in
each gram Panchayat. It was promised that in villages, contracts
will be given to the villagers up to Rs 10 lakhs, 5 lakhs work will be
under the Gram Panchayats (SDF, Election Manifesto, Panchayat
Election, 2004, p.12).

The party President, Pawan Chamling stated that the party had
decided to hold elections on party lines because the main objective
was to restore democracy. It wanted to restore the rights and
privileges as well as the responsibility of the people to the people.

PagP. 183
It further stated that the Panchayat election of 1997 based on
party lines was a success. So following 1997 election, the
Panchayat election of 2002 was also based on party lines. The
party in its Panchayat election manifesto 2002 promised the
following:

• All Government decisions will be made after due

consultations with the panchayat's. This is done so to bring
the voice of the people with the mainstream of thinking in
the decision making for rural development.
• In every gram panchayat and ward the panchayat's will be
empowered to decide on the plan as well as to implement
and to maintain it.
• To enable the panchayat's to debate on the district plans and
programme, the panchayat's at the Zilla level will participate
in the District committees.
• The party strives to strengthen the panchayat's who look
after the villages and village people, so 10 percent of the
government budget is being devolved to the panchayat's and
it will be raised to 30 percent in due course.
• The panchayat's shall have the power to identity and issue
domicile certificate to the Sikkimese who do not possess
Sikkim subject certificate but have receipt of dhuri khajana
land revenue receipt, dada parcha etc.
• The party stated that the Gram panchayat's have the
function of running and maintenance of all government
institutions like the Primary schools, Primary Health centers,
library, Community Information centers, rural tourism, minor
irrigation works, community centers, grounds for sports etc.
• Restoration of democracy was the primary concern of the
party. Therefore, the party states that the panchayat's will

Page 184
 play an important and active role in fighting the forces of
exploitation, suppression and corruption.
• The panchayat's shall have the responsibility to educate and
enlighten the people and make them aware of their rights
and responsibilities.
• For the upliftment and empowerment of women, the party
promised 33% seat reservation in Panchayat elections and
30o/o in job reservation to the women in Sikkim. The party
shall abolish the social, political and economic discrimination
of women.
• As a representative at the local level the panchayat's acts as
a link between the administration and the people especially
in the area of development. The panchayat's will be directly
responsible to the people.
• The panchayat's shall facilitate the production and increase
of productivity of vegetables, fruits, flowers and other cash
crops by promoting marketing linkage. This will make people
more self-reliant, self-sufficient and sustainable. The party
further stated that this will also help the young people in
starting their own business to make them self-employed and
self-reliant.
• Agro-based industry will be started in villages; the
panchayat's will play the role of bringing such new thinking
into the villages.
• Panchayat's shall have an important role to play and be
responsible for government initiated development policies
and programs. The programs include huge opportunities to
set up industries in their respective areas.
• Agriculture will be given the status of industry. The
panchayat's ensures that villages will produce market and

Page!SS
 distribute all kinds of agriculture produce in a scientific and
profitable manner (Election manifesto, 2002, p. 1-16).

In the election manifesto 1994, the party pledged to give full

facilities, privileges, responsibilities and power to the panchayat's
and decentralization of power with the establishment of Panchayati
Raj Institutions in all parts of Sikkim. In the 1999 Election
Manifesto, the party talked about giving power to the panchayat's.
The major difference between the 1994 promise and 1999 promise
was that in 1999, the party also promised reservation of seats for
women in panchayat's. The party also alleged that by giving more
powers and responsibilities to the Panchayat's there has been
decentralization of powers at the local level.

SOCIAL WELFARE PROMISES

The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) declared that Sikkim was a

backward state. It dreams of making Sikkim and Sikkimese people
self-sufficient and equally competitive with the other states of the
Indian Union. The party gave importance to women's
empowerment in the state. In this regard the party pledged to give
them due place in society encouraging women power in democracy
and protect rights, privileges and status in all fields of work. The
party promised to grant 30% benefits in social, political and
economic fields to women (Election manifesto, 1998, p.7 & 2004
p.70). The party appreciated and promoted women's participation.
The party promised 33% of seats for women in panchayat's and
30% job reservation (SDF, Panchayat Election Manifesto, 2002,
p.13).

The party feels that senior citizens should be respected and

protected by the state. It had promised that provisions will be
made for their better livelihood. Therefore, the party holds and

Pagel86
promised old age pensions of Rs 200 per month for the old people
above the age of 65 yrs. It further promised that pension will be
raised to Rs 400 per month to help and give medical treatment to
the handicapped and orphans. The party also promised to open
orphanage and old age homes (SDF, Election manifesto, 1998,
p.9).

The following table shows the total number of beneficiaries

under Old Age Pension Schemes 1 Disabled Persons Schemes during
the year 1997 to 2004.

Table 1
OLD AGE PENSION 1997-2004)
51. No Year No. of beneficiaries

1 1997-1998 3855

2 1998-1999 6835

3 1999-2000 6835

4 2000-2001 10104

5 2001-2002 10104

6 2002-2003 10104

7 2003-2004 13429
Source. Department of Soctal Welfare, Govt. of Stkktm, 2005

The party promised that it will establish and maintain the historical
and cultural sites of Sikkim. In addition, the party promised to
preserve the age old traditions, culture, history, language of the
ethnic groups of Sikkim namely, Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali for
maintenance of communal harmony (SDF1 Election manifesto,
1998, p.13 & 2002 p.19).

Pagej87
 Sikkim is composed of different races or ethnic groups.
These groups have different languages, cultural patterns and have
become the central point of socio-economic and political problems
in Sikkim. Thus, the party keeping in mind the cultural, social
background of these groups and to retain their identity provisions
to preserve the scripts and history of the languages like Rai,
Tamang, Gurung, Sherpa, Manger, Newari promised to declare all
these languages as state languages. The party also pledged to give
educational and employment facilities to the Sikkimese Scheduled
Castes (SDF Election manifesto, 1994, p. 20).

The party declared itself a pro-people party. It is the party of

the poor people with this notion, the party promises social
upliftment of the poor people and grant land, forest land to built
house to the landless (SDF, Election manifesto, 1994, p.7). It also
promised 50°/o job reservation for Sikkimese candidates in offices
under central government in Sikkim. As peoples party, it promised
23% seat reservation for ST (Scheduled Tribes) and 6% for
Scheduled Caste and 21% for Other Backward Classes. It promised
to increase age limit from 30-35 for government jobs. Grant
allowance to unemployed people, help the poorest family by
helping with up to Rs 500 in case of birth, marriage and death.
This shall be granted by recommendations made by the concerned
ward panchayat's, gram panchayat's and Zilla panchayat's (SDF,
Election Manifesto, 1994, p. 24). The party also alleged to grant
20,000 as grant in aid to property less, landless poor Sikkimese
people. For the protection of forest and to prevent deforestation,
the party provided L.P.G. gas cylinder to the people living below
the poverty line (SDF Election Manifesto, 1999, pp.48-49). The
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) promised to grant rice at cheaper
rate to the poor families (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1994, p.S)

Page ISS
 In the section on health, a high child mortality rate, low
immunization rate for children and high death rate for rural women
of child bearing age have been recorded in Sikkim (Sikkim, The
Peoples Vision, p.17, 2001). This gives clear indication that family
health needs attention. Due to poor rural health infrastructure, the
patients are referred to big hospitals outside the state which costs
high expenses for the poor people. The Sikkim Democratic Front,
thus, promised to establish health centers and medical facilities
making Sikkim diseases Free State by 2015. This is a new vision of
Sikkim Democratic Front. The party promised to launch hepatitis
'B' vaccination programme free of cost to the children (SDF
Election manifesto, 2004 p.53). The party holds that there shall be
hospitals in all the four districts of Sikkim with maximum tools and
modern scientific infrastructure for treatment of diseases. Further
it lays down in the election manifesto that open health centers with
doctors, medicine and ambulance would be provided in each
village of Sikkim (SDF, Election manifesto, 1999, pp.33-34 & 2004
pp.53-54).

The party promised during the 2004 elections that along with
the treatment of the disease, the disease will also be diagnosed for
which the people do not have to go outside the state for
treatment. The party also promised that it will give more attention
towards the health of the old aged, children and women. To make
people health conscious and aware, there shall be health exhibition
cum conference every year.

The party stated that in the past five years, 10,000 youths
were given employment and promised that in the next five years,
employment will be given to 25,000 youths, covering each year,
1000 persons. The party strives to increase the age limit in
government jobs from 30-35 years. The Scheduled Castes will be

Page 189
given justice by reserving 6°/o seats in the panchayati raj
institutions. It also promised relaxation in job, education for SC
like Kami, Damai, Sarki and Majhi (SDF, Election manifesto, 1999,
p.28).

It promised to set up State Women Commission for the

development and protection of Rights of Women in Sikkim (SDF,
Election Manifesto, 1999, p. 40). It also promised issue of ration
cards to all the people of Sikkim. The ration card holders would get
Rs 10 per kg rice at Rs 5 only. The state government would bear
the remaining Rs. 5.

ECONOMIC PROMISES

Following restoration of democracy in the state, the party aimed at

development and re-orientation of the economy of the state.
Sikkim Democratic front claimed that during the earlier regime,
the state's economy was in a miserable condition. The government
borrowed loans from the centre and other financial institutions up
to Rs 500 Crores. This money was not utilized for the development
in the state instead loans were granted to the party supporters.
The state revenue was only Rs 40 Crores when the SDF took over
in 1994. Within a span of 6 years, the revenue situation improved
to a total of Rs 125 Crores (Gaunley, 2002).

The party promised to make the Sikkimese people self-

reliant by uplifting the economic conditions of the poor and it
promised the development of the rural areas which will help in
alleviation of poverty. The party also promised to set aside 70% of
its annual budget for economic development (SDF, Election
Manifesto, Assembly and Lok Sabha election, 3 Oct, 1999, p.11). 23

n Sikkim Democratic Front pledges to remove corruption from its roots. To it the
SSP government and the Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari faced CBI charges
in the late SO's and early 90's this led to mal-administration of the state. The

Page j90
The party promised to solve the problems of the labourer's and low
wage earning employees. The party promised that it would make
an effort to regularize the employees who were working as muster
roll for three years and increase their daily wage up to Rs 50/-
(SDF, Election Manifesto, 1994, p. 16).

The party promised the constructions of roads to connect all

the villages. It promised that it will provide Bus services in all parts
of Sikkim. The party pledged to maintain an air service through
helicopter and an air plane having capacity of 20 passengers in the
state (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1998, p.6; 1999, p.30 & 2004,
p.34).

The party talked about road infrastructure as roads and

highways are not well maintained in the state. The topography and
climate of the region makes it prone to landslides and erosion.
Several roads have not been repaired for long periods. The main
means of transport is only roads. It is the only life line of the
population. Thus, the party promises to link every village by roads
to the main town. There is absence of a rail network or commercial
air services in Sikkim. The only depending factor is on single
Highway- National Highway 31A (NH 31A). 24 Any major disruption
to NH 31A, mainly when bandhs are called in Darjeeling,
Kalimpong areas of West Bengal, cuts Sikkim's link with other
parts of the country. The party therefore had demanded for an
alternative highway for Sikkim (SDF, Election manifesto, 1998,
p.6, 1999, p.29, 2004, p.34).

The Sikkim Democratic Front promised in its election

manifesto the reopening of the Nathu/a trade route-Indo-China

opposition political parties in Sikkim like the Congress I, Bharatiya Janata Party,
Rising Sun, Communist party of India also demanded Presidential rule in Sikkim.
24
NH 31A the only linking line of Sikkim with the rest of the country.

Page I 91
trade route. The route would improve the relation with China and
more it would increase market and export state products to the
national and international market. This would benefit both the
government as well as small scale industries in Sikkim (SDF,
Election Manifesto, 1994, p.6, 1999, p.6, 2004, p.34).
Industrial development is very low in Sikkim. There can be a
number of factors reasons for this under development, like
physical remoteness, difficult terrain, lack of raw materials and
markets, high transport and marketing costs. Apart from this, the
Sikkim Democratic Front was of the view that the Bhandari
government had failed to solve these problems faced by the
industries. The industries in Sikkim are mainly small scale
industries and cottage industries which if given care would
contribute in the increase in state's revenue. Realizing this fact,
the Sikkim Democratic Front also promised to arrest the sickness
of the industries and revive them. It had reiterated that it would
demand funds from the central government for its maintenance
(SDF, Election Manifesto, 1998, p.S; 1999, pp. 31-32; 2004,
pp.21-22).

PROMISES FOR THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR

Sikkim is an agricultural land. More than 75% of the people live in

rural areas with only agriculture being the source of income.
Agricultural production is very low in Sikkim due to many factors
like-cultivation cost being very high because of outdated farming
practices, high cost and inadequate supply of inputs like seeds,
seedlings etc. There is a shortage of well trained, specialized staff
on government farms to give information on good farming
practices and modern techniques. The farmers depend on middle
man for credit and making outlet due to poor marketing structure
and lack of wholesale market (Sikkim People's Vision, 2001). Thus,

Pagel92
the necessity on the part of the government is to make
arrangement for the establishment of agriculture based industries,
providing high yielding variety seeds, modern technological
approaches, scientific knowledge and education in Sikkim.

The SDF before coming to power in 1994 analyzed the

agricultural condition in Sikkim and it promised to give more
attention to the agricultural sector. For this it promised in its
election manifesto of 1994 that 70% of the budget will be set for
rural development which also means agriculture. The party
promised that agriculture will be given the status of an industry.
For this steps will be taken up by the Panchayat's to ensure that
village produces market and distribute all kinds of agriculture
produce in a scientific manner. The progressive farmers will be
given necessary inputs (SDF, Election Manifesto, 2002, p.15).

For better agricultural production in the state, a study of

Progressive cultivation of maize, ginger, cardamom, pears, tea
leaves and herbal plants was promised by the party. Establishment
of new industries, training programmes to the farmers for better
agricultural knowledge were also promised. It also promised that
the government would take the responsibility for the sale of cash
crops like cardamom, ginger, and oranges. Cultivation of
vegetables and flowers especially Sunakhari was encouraged 25
(SDF, Election Manifesto, 1999).

It promised that there will be a rural library in each gram

panchayat to give information regarding farming and cultivation.
13% of the total land area of the state is for agricultural purpose,
Sikkim lacks resources. So the party promised to use central aid
for its development purpose (SDF, Lok Sabha Election manifesto,
1998, p.S). It further promised that in order to boost agricultural
25
Sunakhari is the local species of flower found only in Sikkim.

Page\93
production, a separate budget over and above the prescribed
allocation of state fund from the centre will be arranged by the
party (SDF Election Manifesto, 1998).

The party in order to make Sikkim more developed in the

agricultural field and to give it more importance made many
promises in the Assembly Election of 1999 (p. 19-22).

• Each village shall have one industry on ginger, fruits,

cardamom, bamboo etc.
• Tea garden in all the four districts of Sikkim shall be
provided with information in the cultivation of tea and mini-
infrastructures.
• To guide the farmers, the government (SDF) shall appoint an
assistant in each gram panchayat and provide scientific
techniques of cultivation of crops and vegetables.
• Floriculture will be encouraged and necessary arrangements
will be made to sell products outside the state.
• Like in other states of the country, state Krisi Bima Yojana
with the help of the central government will be started in
Sikkim.
• The party shall come up with new programmes in the field of
providing better opportunities to the farmers.

In the election manifesto of 1999, the party stated that the

government under its banner has contributed much in the
development of agriculture in the state. It further stated that it will
do more towards agriculture if it is voted to power. For this it
promised in the Election Manifesto 2004, that:

• To increase productivity the progressive farmers will be

given all necessary inputs.

Page \94
 • The government shall make arrangements to sell the
agricultural products in the market at a profitable price.
• An exhibition will be held and shall grant award to the
farmers who produce maximum and this will encourage and
help the farmers to increase the productivity and increase
healthy competition among them.
• The government shall encourage tea cultivation and
mushroom cultivation in the state and provide with seeds,
manure, information, training, tools etc.
• Shall make Sikkim purely an organic state. For this the state
shall make arrangements for the provision of making natural
manures for agricultural production.

The party further promised that a programme will be arranged for

the farmers who intend to learn and know new agricultural
techniques from other states. To it the government shall make
provisions of soil conservation and soil erosion.

The government gave importance to tea 1 mushroom,

orange 1 passion fruits, guava, banana, papaya 1 and apple
cultivation and facilities will be provided for its cultivation. To help
the farmers with facilities, Co-operative banks will be opened in
the state to provide with loans. It will help the farmers and
encourage them in poultry farming 1 Dairy farming 1 Piggery 1 Fishery
etc.

PROMISES FOR THE EDUCATIONAL SECTOR

Sikkim's Literacy rate as per the 2001 census was 69.68 percent,
which was much above the national average of 62 percent. In
Sikkim 1 educational system has improved with the increasing
literacy rate and growing school enrolment but still the educational
achievement is relatively low in Sikkim. This can be due to lack of

Page/95
 access to schooling and low level of school competition. There can
be other factors too which are responsible for poor performance of
education like-absence of transport to and from school, poor
school infrastructure and largely untrained teachers etc.

The party promised to make a provision for starting its own

state school board and University in Sikkim. 26 Sikkim also lacks
technical and vocational institutions. It also promised to open up
Polytechnic schools, Rojgar Mulak and business oriented education
to make people self-reliant. The party also promised the
establishment of Degree colleges in each district of Sikkim and a
University of its own in Sikkim to bring all educational institutions
in the state under its aegis (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1999, p.17-
18; 1998, p. 5; 2004, 48-49).

To encourage education in the state, the party promised

that government schools would not charge any tuition fee from the
students and distribute free text books and exercise books. All
students up to class V were to be provided free uniforms and mid-
day meals (Election Manifesto, 1994, p.15; 1999, p.15-16). It also
held that:

• The party also dreams of making Sikkim a fully literate state

by 2015 (Election Manifesto, 2004, p.15)
• The party also promised to grant scholarships and quota
reserved for Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled caste candidates
opting higher studies outside the state. The scholarship will
range from Rs 500-1000-1500 per student (Election
manifesto, 1994, p.17).

26
Sikkim lacks state educational board of its own and a State University. For
further studies the students have to get admission to the Universities outside
Sikkim.

Page/96
• The party promised a separate pay scale for school teachers
in the state. It also held that medical leave with full salary
would be provided. In case of retirement of teachers, the job
would be given to his/her children (Election Manifesto, 1994,
p.15).
• In order to help in the education of the orphans the party
promised to set up a separate educational institution under
the Govt. of Sikkim (Election Manifesto, 1994, p.19).
• In the election manifesto of the Assembly Election, 1999,
the party stated that the government under the SDF granted
free education which includes free tuition fees, provided text
books and uniforms to the students up to class eight. The
party further holds that the government shall take steps to
make education free up to college level so that all the poor
students can avail higher studies. The party also laid down
that free school bag shall be given to the students up to
class V in all government schools (SDF, Election Manifesto,
General Assembly Election, 1999).
• In all the gram panchayat's, the party said that there shall
be Madhyamik School.
• The party promised to include subjects like environmental
studies and computer education as a compulsory subject at
the lower level of education.
• It also promised to start vocational education in 40 senior
secondary schools in the state.
• The party promised that after coming to power, it would
increase the information centers from 40 to 60 within five
years of its term (SDF, Election manifesto, 1994, p.17; SDF
Election manifesto, 1999, p.17; SDF Election manifesto,
2004, pp.51-52).

PageJ97
Apart from the promises laid down by the party in the election
manifestoes, the party President Pawan Cham\ing made certain
declaration and promises to the people on various occasions in the
state. After its major victory in the State Assembly election of
1994, the new Chief Minister stated that "first priority will be given
to the restoration of democracy in the state". The government will
concentrate more on the various needs of the people, particularly
the poor and the downtrodden instead of building his own image
and the image of the party. In an interview to free Press Journal
(B'" January, 1995) the party president Pawan Chamling stated
that, in its task of restoring democracy in the state, the press will
be given freedom and it will allow to re-establish newspapers
destroyed by the earlier government. Teachers and government
employees will be given association and Trade Union rights. The
State Human Rights Commission will be formed and the labour Act
will be implemented very soon.

In January 2003 he announced to distribute 3000 milch

cattle's, 3000 piglets to the people living below poverty line as
animal husbandry is one of the important sectors of rural
economy. He also announced that a financial development
Corporation will be set up for the economic development of the
backward communities like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes
and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). A new industrial policy was
announced which would promote agricultural products and
handlooms and handicrafts industries and tourism related
industries. The new government enforced the new Sikkim
Panchayat Act 1992 and Nagar Palika Act to ensure peoples'
participation in democratic process so that democracy takes firm
roots in the society.

Pagei9B
 On the occasion of the celebration of 48th Independence day
on 15th August 1995 in Gangtok, Pawan Chamling talking about
poverty Alleviation programmes announced new schemes. He
announced that the government shall provide houses to 15,000
poor people in a phased manner over the next five years. He also
announced that the government would provide a 2-point electricity
connection free of cost to 30 1 000 houses over the next five years.

He announced to increase the number of beneficiaries under

the old age pension scheme in order to lower the scale of poverty
in the state. He announced to introduce maternity allowance at the
rate of Rs 300 for the people and a scheme of providing Rs. 3000
·to the poor families to enable them to perform the social and
religious rites for the dead. He further announced that the
government would take the major decision to develop the core
sectors of economy by increasing agricultural production and
industrial growth. Higher priority to education and health will be
given. The apex cooperative bank would be set up to avail financial
assistance for the farmers.

According to the newspaper reports of 'Sikkim Express'

March 20-26, 1995, celebrating 100 days of SDF rule in Sikkim,
the SDF government promised to uplift the downtrodden and
alleviate the suffering of the weaker sections of the society by
meeting the challengers with courage. Earlier the government
focused on how to bring development in the state and now its
focus was shifted to the

At the state level Panchayat meet held in June, 1995, at

Namchi, South Sikkim, Pawan Chamling promised to fulfill every
promises made by him. He expressed that Sikkim will be made
free income tax state, all Nepalese would be included in the OBC
list, Limboo, Gurung and Tamang would be declared as tribals,

Page 199
restriction area permit would begin, helicopter service to be
continued from September, 2005, which had stopped functioning
and construction of Airstrip for small planes would be completed.

During the grand celebration of the Anniversary of the SDF

government in December 12, 1995 in Gangtok, the party members
put forward different suggestions. Political and economic
resolutions were passed in the open session on December 12. All
together 15 resolutions were passed. The party in its resolution
resolved to:

• Include all Nepalese in the OBC category

• Declare Limboo, Tamang, Gurung and Manger as Tribal
community in the state.
• The party strives for the inclusion of the languages of
ethnic groups like Bhutia, Lepcha and Limboo in the
Eighth Schedule of the constitution.
• The party resolved to give full security to the old laws in
accordance with the Revenue Order No.1.
• It pledged to make Sikkim Income tax free state.
• It resolved to reserve seats for the Limboo, Bhutia and
Lepcha and Nepalese in the State Legislative Assembly.
• The party resolved to declare Sikkim as the backward
state as no significant development in the state was seen
during the past 20 years.
• The party passed a resolution to make demands to the
central government for developmental schemes like
Airport facility, establishment of University in the state,
financial aid for further growth of industries, power,
transport, establishment of cultural center, language,
developmental fund, and construction of alternative

PagellOO
 highway to Siliguri and make Sikkim a transaction centre
in relation to trade with Tibet.
• It pledged to make Sikkim a self-sufficient state by
implementing schemes for the upliftment of poor people.
• It resolved to stop the spread of Communal feelings in the
state.
• The party would strive for women self-respect and justice
for women.
• The party would coordinate the people of different
communities for the development of languages in the
state.
• The party promised to build competitive attitude among
the students and give more importance to education.
• The party resolved to proceed further in making the
women and youths self-reliant and self-employed.
• It passed in the resolution that the party and the people
of Sikkim will always support the centre to fight against
corruption and terrorism in the state.

In August, 1997 at a Rally held at Temi bazar before the

Panchayat election which was scheduled to be held on September,
1997, Pawan Chamling, the party President declared that his
government has planned to spend one third of the state's total
plan outlay of Rs 1600 Crores towards the development of the
panchayat's. He stressed that every village would get a school,
electricity for every houses and 'roti, 'kapda our Makan' for every
citizen in the ninth five year plan. It also promised to provide job
opportunities to 2000 people. It also promised that 1000
contractors were to get opportunities when the Teesta Hyde!
Project phase will be implemented.

Pagel101
 On the occasion of the Foundation Day of the party at
Gangtok in January, 1999, the party decided to grant an amount
of Rs twenty thousand and distribute 30 GCI sheets to the people
living below poverty line. A constituency level campaign committee
was to be constituted to carry the political campaign for the next
election. The meeting also resolved to constitute a disciplinary
committee and Zonal committee in each and every market zone to
speed up its political campaign.
Observing the Labour Day on May 1 '' 1999 the party
President Pawan Chamling made commitments to uplift the
proletariat sections of the society and to bring about a
revolutionary change in their condition. A year before the next
General Assembly Election, in a public meeting held at Pakyong,
East Sikkim, Pawan Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim
declared financial assistance of Rs. 20,000/- each for families
whose landed properties and houses have been damaged by
natural calamities which was to be free and not to be repaid back
(Sikkim Express, 7-13 November,1998). To make the state self-
sufficient the government under the SDF would utilize the hyde\
power and tourism potentials of the state. Every village would be
marked to make it a tourist attraction.
On June 27, 2000, at the meeting at the conference hall of
the Tashiling Secretariat, Gangtok, Pawan Chamling declared that
a model village in each of the 30 constituencies will be created to
improve the living condition of the rural poor. Pawan Chamling,
the party President of Sikkim Democratic Front assured the people
after winning the Assembly election for a second term in 1999,
that, the government is committed to provide "good governance
and accelerate the pace of development" to attain the Sikkim
vision of 2015. He further added that he would work towards

Page\102
making Sikkim a model state (Sikkim Express, 16-22 October,
1999).

Pawan Chamling dreams of transforming Sikkim into an ideal

state where all round development including political, social and
economic development is secured. Quality of life of the people will
be improved. He further stated that every citizen in the state gets
a roof over his head, three square meals a day and basic amenities
like education, health and social justice. He also dreamt of making
Sikkim the most eco-friendly state in the country (The Statesman,
Wednesday, 16'h May, 2001).
On the eve of the Third Millennium and the 21" century on
1" January 2000, Pawan Chamling delivered a speech in Gangtok
where he declared that it is necessary to develop Sikkim's own
potential to accelerate the development process and this would
free Sikkim from economic slavery. To him Sikkim's natural
resources should be explored and transform the natural beauty
into eco-tourism. 27 For this, he declared that tourist spots be
developed in each gram panchayat unit with the involvement of
panchayat's and the people at large (Sikkim Express, 2, January,
2000).
To keep the pace with the fast moving 21" century world,
the government decided to fully computerize the administrative
system. He declared to make the state's administration more
organized, smooth and effective through computerization. The
farmers in Sikkim are following the old methods of farming. 28
There is an absence of allied industry to provide a centre for
agricultural output. Thus, the rural farmers are compelled to sell
out their agricultural product in raw form. The government

27
Sikkim is rich in natural resources; therefore, tourism can be developed as an industry
for economic growth.
28
Till date, Sikkim's main economy has been traditional agriculture.

Pagej103
promised to establish such industries to process the manufacture
products and also negotiate the sale of such finished products at
national and international markets. For strengthening the
economic growth further, the government declared to enrich the
quality production of various agricultural products and orchids,
flowers which are unique in the country (Sikkim Express, 2,
January, 2000).
Along with the utilization of natural resources, the
government declared to promote education as an industry in itself.
By establishing elaborate educational centers, Sikkim would be a
place of immense educational interest, Pawan Chamling declared
to make Sikkim an ideal state by freeing the state from serious
epidemics like illiteracy, poverty, unemployment and
environmental pollution. Pawan Chamling promised that by the
end of the first decade of the new century, Sikkim will be a 100%
literate state. The government will make Sikkim poverty free,
pollution free and clear the state of the drug menace.
On the occasion of being honored as the greenest Chief
Minister by the Centre for Science and Environment on 20th
September 1999 at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, Pawan
Chamling delivered a speech that Sikkim is giving more emphasis
on · eco-tourism. Along with economic tourism, hydro power
potential will be developed by bringing out comprehensive state
environment policy and use the NGO movement as a valuable
resource in the development of this sector. The state government
would make proposal to introduce Himalayan Ecology in the
awareness about the environment to promote eco-tourism in the
state.

Pagel104
Shifts in the Nature of Promises
Analyses of SDF promises reveal that it had changed over time.
Shifts in the nature of the promises are noticed. The party
promises were not the same in all the Assembly and Lok Sabha
elections. The party in its initial stages had promised to restore
democracy, safeguard the rights of the Sikkimese people and gave
importance to agricultural growth in the state. The same promises
are absent in the later elections in the state as the party was able
to fulfill its promises and hence came up with new promises to
attract voter's.
The SDF has been ruling Sikkim since 1994. Till 2004, there
have been 6 (six) elections which includes State Assembly
elections, Parliamentary elections and Panchayat elections in the
state. The party laid down many promises in its election
manifestoes. We notice that there are some similarities and
differences in its promises. Here in this part we will focus on the
shifts in the promises. These can be divided into categories like,
political 1 social, economic, education etc. Let us have a brief look
at all this.

POLITICAL: In the political promises adopted by the party there

are similarities as well as differences. Similarities can be found in
the promises like restoration of constitutional rights of the
Sikkimese Bhutia's and Lepcha's. This Is mentioned (promised) in
the election manifestoes of 1994 and also in 2005. The election
manifestoes of 1994 and 1999 lays down that the party shall
oppose the extension and enforcement of Central Direct Tax in
Sikkim which the earlier government (SSP) had welcomed. The
party had repeatedly emphasized this because it aims at making
Sikkim a tax free state.

PagellOS
 In 1984, the Bhandari government (SSP) deprived the rights
of the people by refusing to implement the recommendations of
the Manda\ Commission which included some sections of
communities like Rai, Gurung, Bhujel, Manger, Sunwar in the OBC
category. Therefore, the Sikkim Democratic Front repeated its
promises in 1994, 1998 and 1999, to protect the right of these
sections of the society and include them in the OBC list. It had also
consistently demanded the inclusion of Limboo and Tamang in the
Jist of Scheduled Tribes.
However, in the election manifesto of 2004, we can see a
shift in this strategy. In the Manifesto of 2004, the party did not
talk about including Rai, Manger1 Sunwar, Gurung and Bhuje\ in
the OBC list and then include Limboo and Tamang in the ST Jist.
We find this because it has promised to include Rai, Manger1
Sunwar, Gurung, Bhujel, Thami and Jog\ in the Jist of Scheduled
Tribes. 29
The demand for inclusion of Bhutia and Lepcha languages in
the eight schedule of the constitution is found in the two election
manifestoes of 1994 and 1998. But the same promise was not laid
down in the election Manifesto of 2004. This is so because, Bhutia
and Lepcha languages, like Nepali is not a language spoken by the
majority of the people in Sikkim and outside Sikkim. There are
some difficulties in its implementation. Thus, in the later phase of
its rule the party came up with new promises.
Nepalese and Tsang had their seats reserved in Sikkim
Legislative Assembly till 1979. It was removed through Governor's
Ordinance in 1979. 30 SDF, thus, feels that the Nepalese and Tsang
seats should be retained in the State Legislative Assembly. The
party therefore, strives to retain the reservation of seats for these

29
These groups/communities had already been included in the OBC list.
w The removal of these seats was not passed through the procedure in the
Legislative Assembly as the government was dissolved.

Page\106
communities and promised for the same reservation in the election
manifesto of 1994 and 1999 General Assembly Election.
The party does not promise the reservation of seats for
Nepalese and Tsong in the General Assembly election of 2004. This
is so because the Tsong which belongs to Umboo community are
included in the list of Scheduled Tribe in 2003. The party further
promised to increase the reservation of ST seats for the inclusion
of Lim boo and Tamang in the Assembly. For the increase of
representation in the parliament, the party once again promised to
make the proposal in the union parliament in the party election
manifesto to Lok Sabha election in the state of 1998 and 2004.
The party in the beginning was busy and focused in restoring
democracy and safeguarding the rights of the Sikkimese people.
Politically, looking we find similarities rather than
differences. Similarities can be seen in the promise for the
protection of old laws, Article 371(f), Revenue Order No. 1 (SDF,
1994; SDF, 1999 & SDF 2004), inclusion of Sikkim in the North
East Council (SDF, 1999; SDF, 2004), Sons of Soil Policy (SDF,
1994 & SDF, 1999). The election manifesto of 1994 solely
promised to restore democracy in the state, grant, social economic
and political justice to the people. A shift can be seen in the
political promises in 2004. It included that the party strives to
include Chettri, Bahun, Newar, Sanyasi in the list of other
Backward Classes.

SOCIAL: Social welfare was the area where the party tried to give
much emphasis. The party aim's to uplift the society and alleviate
poverty and make the Sikkimese people self-reliant. It has
promised to make Sikkim a poverty free state by 2015. Hence,
almost in every election, the party had laid down different social
welfare strategies. In the election manifestoes of the party to the

Pagel107
Assembly Election of 1994, 1999 and 2004 in the state, the party
lays down different social welfare strategies like empowerment of
women and upliftment of women in social, economic and political
fields by giving 30% reservation of seats in government jobs, 33%
seat reservation in the Panchayat elections and establishment of
State Women Commission. This shows that the party wants more
participation of women in all the fields of work.
In the assembly election manifesto's of 1994, 1999 and
2004, the party declared to set aside 70% of the budget for rural
development. The party realizes the fact that Sikkim is a backward
state as compared to other states of the Indian union; therefore,
for the development of Sikkim it is necessary to develop rural
areas. This is because more than 80% of the people in Sikkim live
in the rural areas and it is important to grant benefits and facilities
to the rural people to keep the base intact in the rural areas of the
state since it gets majority support from the rural areas.
In the year 1994 and 1999, the party strived for social
upliftment by reserving 50% seats in jobs for all Sikkimese, 23%
for the STs, 6% for the SCs and 21% for OBCs. It increased the
age limit from 30-35 so that maximum youths can get
employment. In the election manifesto of 1999, the party laid
down that to help the poor families during births and deaths in the
family, the party promised to give Rs SOD to the family. It also
pledged to preserve old traditions, culture, language and history of
the three ethnic communities; Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali in
Sikkim. It also resolved to preserve the scripts and history of other
communities like Rai, Tamang 1 Gurung, Manger, Newar and
declare the languages of these communities as state languages.
The same promises were absent in the next assembly election i.e.
in 2004. The party has been able to form the governments with
absolute majorities in the past ten years. The government under

Pagel108
the SDF succeeded in fulfilling its promises and aspirations of the
people which we will see in the next chapters.
Health was also given priority by the party. For better health
facilities the party repeatedly promised to establish hospitals in all
the four district of the state. In 2004, the party came up with new
health strategies. It lay down that by 2015, Sikkim will be a
disease free state. For this, medical facilities like, hepatitis 'B'
vaccination would be provided free of cost to all the children below
10 years. The hospitals will not only undergo treatment of diseases
but will also diagnose the disease so that the poor people will not
have to go outside the state for treatment. The hospitals will be
provided with machinery infrastructures. All the villages shall have
one health center with doctors, medicines and ambulances. The
new strategies also include medical insurance for all the people in
the state and decreasing the death rate of the Child from 38-30
per year.
In the earlier elections the party pledged to improve the
living standard of the people by giving them social, economic and
political justice and benefits. But in the election manifesto of 2004,
a new type of promise was made that by 2015 all Sikkimese shall
be lakhpati and by 2025 a Crorepati. It was a continuation of the
promise that all the poor people will be self sufficient and self
reliant which was promised earlier in 1994 and in 1999.

ECONOMY
Right from the beginning, the party strived to make Sikkim and
the Sikkimese people economically self-reliant. Re-orientation of
the economy was its main concern. It wanted to alleviate poverty
right from its roots. Therefore in all the election manifestoes, the
party pledged to make Sikkim economically a developed state. We
find similar pledges in the 1994, 1999 & 2004 election

Pagel109
manifestoes. The party promised to solve the problems of
labourer's, low wage earning employees, regularize those working
on Muster roll and increase the daily wage up to Rs 100. It further
promised to reopen the closed industries to give employment to
the people, scrap sick industries/ demand funds from the central
government, establish agriculture based industries, provide high
yielding variety seeds to farmers, promise modern technologies,
apparatus and scientific knowledge to the farmers.
In the year 1999, SDF came up with a promise of expanding
the NH 31A for better connectivity and communication as it is the
only national highway that connects Sikkim with the rest of the
country. Each farmer was promised Rs 2000/- to maintain dung pit
for natural manure dung. It promised to demand for central aid for
the establishment of new industries, training for farmers/
cultivation of ginger1 cardamom, maize, tea leaves, herbal plants,
fruits etc. Cultivation of ginger, cardamom, maize etc are given
importance by the party because the climatic condition of Sikkim is
suitable for the cultivation of these cash crops which can increase
the income of the state by its production. A public library in each
gram panchayat will be opened to enable the farmers to gather
information regarding technical cultivation and farming, tea
gardens in all four districts of Sikkim and provide the people with
information in this regard and provide mini-infrastructure needed
for tea cultivation.

EDUCATION
In the overall development of the society, education plays a vital
role. The party lays great emphasis on the education of the
Sikkimese people. Knowing the fact that Sikkim lacks a School
Board and a University of its own, it pledged to maintain and open
its own school Board and a University in the election manifestoes

PagelllO
of 1994, 1999 and 2004. This Is so because the party is giving its
level best in fulfilling the promise each year. Free text books,
exercise books, uniforms, mid-day meals, scholarships for the
students opting higher studies outside the state, reservation of
quota etc. are the common promises of the party.
However, a major shift can be seen in its promises in the
election manifesto of 2004. The shift is not only in the educational
line but in several other fields as well. In 2004 the party came up
31
with a new vision - 'A New Vision of New Sikkim'. Within a span
of ten (10) years the Sikkim Democratic Party promised to strive
in making Sikkim:
~· A poverty free state by 2015
•!• Fully literate state by 2015
•!• Pollution free state by 2015
•!• Corruption free state by 2015
•!• Fully organic state by 2015
•!• To make Sikkim a tourist centre In South-East Asia
·~ To make Sikkim a culture based modern state
<· To make it an unemployment free state
•!• To make it a producing state
•!• To make it a peaceful and protective state
•!• To raise the state revenue up to Rs 100 Crore
•!• To reduce Child death rate to 20%.
<· To increase the per capita income up to 1 !akh.
•!• To see that all children between 5-10 years go to
school.
•!• To reduce BPL percentage to 0%.
•!• To allocate 80% of the state budget for rural
development.

31
The new vision of new Sikkim strives to make Sikkim, New and Happy Sikkim
by 2015.

Page 1111
 •:• To make Sikkim the eco-tourism capital of India by
2015.
•:• To provide sustainable livelihood to each household by
2015.
•!• To make it a major trade centre of Eastern India by
2015.
(Source: Election Manifesto-General Assembly and Lok
Sabha Election, 2004, p.6).

The adoption of forest, environment and wildlife policy by the state

government in 1999 marks a shift in government's policy focusing
on the development process. 32 The party strives to promote
tourism in the state; every village shall have one tourist spot
because only 15% of land in Sikkim is agricultural land.

We see a major shift in the year 2004 because the Sikkim

Democratic Front government realized that the conventional
thought, process and concept of development would not be enough
to solve the new problems and challenges of the contemporary
world. In this regard, the government (SDF) initiated new idea to
identify the problems and search their possible solutions. M.P.
Lama of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, was entrusted
with the work of preparing the Sikkim Human Development Report
and Ashok Lahiri the then Director of National Institute of Public
Finance and Policy, New Delhi was asked to prepare Sikkim
People's vision (Government of Sikkim, Thirty years of Statehood,
Department of Information and Public Relations, 2005).

32
Sikkim perhaps is the first state to adopt such a policy relating to forest
environment and wild life.

Pagej112
 SECTION II
ELECTORAL POPULISM

In the first section of the chapter we dealt with the promises of the
Sikkim Democratic Front that helped it to win consecutive elections
in the state. The second section deals with the question of
electoral populism of the SDF, which to us had been a part of the
party's strategy. We look at how far the SDF had used populism in
order to come to power and maintain power. We focus mainly on
the electoral populism of the party. While we do that we will focus
on the promises of the party during elections and elsewhere
already analysed in the previous section. Before we come to the
electoral populism of the SDF in Sikkim, it is important and
necessary to arrive at the meaning of Populism and the conditions
under which a populist party arise and succeed.

Populism is best defined as a political strategy. Political

strategies are characterized by the power capability that types of
rulers use to sustain themselves politically. Under populism a
leader is an individual, a personalistic leader and not a group
organization. Populism rests on the power capability of numbers
and not special weight. Populism emerges when personalistic
leaders are there to rule on massive yet mostly uninstitutionalised
support from large number of people. 33 According to some populist
cycles typically occur during periods of political and economic
transition that shift or loosen the social moorings of the party
systems. Populist leadership thrives when working and lower class
groups are detached from existing parties and available for
electoral mobilization by political new comers. This detachment
33
Populism remains a widely used but heavily contested concept in the field of
comparative politics.

Page\113
may be attributed to the emergence of new groups who have
never been politically incorporated or bond between voters and
established parties (Roberts, 2006, p.127).

The first such transition occurred with the demise of the

oligarchic era and the rise of mass politics during the early stages
of industrialization. The growth of urban working and middle
classes forced traditional oligarchic parties to share the political
stage with new mass-based competitors, as populist figures
employed charismatic appeals to wield together multi-class
conditions for reform.

The concept of populism is used in helping us understand how

new identities are constituted. Jonescu and Gellner (1970) define
populism as "any movement and political formation that is
characterized by an ideological referent to the 'people'; as a
homogeneous entity with exclusive positive and permanent
values." More broadly, populism refers to social and political
movements which seek to go beyond traditional ideological
definitions by identifying with the essence of the people. Populism
presents self as a transversal political philosophy defying
traditional ideological dichotomies such as working class,
bourgeoisie and left/right (Woods, 1995).

A diverse literature by (Dwayne Woods, 1995, p.187) on

social movements has attempted to explain the sudden rise of new
political and social forces. This literature has sought to explain the
emergence of politically engaged groups such as anti-war,
feminist, environmentalists and peace activists whose ideological
focus and demands separated them from traditional social
movements, which tend to concentrate on issues of economic
distribution and redistribution.

Pagel114
 Under populism an individual leader seeks to exercise
government power based on support from large number of
followers. Thus, elections, demonstrations and mostly recent
opinion polls are the crucial instruments with which populist
leaders mobilize and demonstrate their individual power capability.
The popular leader gets support from largely organized masses to
win office. Populist chief executives constantly invoke their broad
mass support to boost their own influence and overpower their
opponents.

In Latin America the scholars defined populism as a concept

that encompassed several attributes from different domains. There
was a close connection between populist politics and its social
roots, socio-economic background conditions etc. In latin America,
authors like Vicente Palermo (1998) has observed that a
charismatic individual wins and exercises power by maintaining
direct, unmediated contact to a largely unorganized mass of
followers. Many authors refers populism historically in certain
developmental stages, such as the transition from tradition to
modern society, the rise of mass society after the fall of oligarchic
rule (Weyland, 2001). 34 Under populism the ruler is an individual,
the connection between leader and followers is based mostly on
direct quasi-personal contact, not on organizational intermediation
(Weyland, 2001.p.1).

In populism mass support comes through formal institutional

structures. The ruler should have an organized party. The
follower's loyalty can vanish quickly if the leaders fail to fulfill
popular expectations. Such a decline in popularity threatens the
foundation of populist rule and can trigger its collapse. The

34
A political definition of populism is seen as a specific way of competing for and
exercising political power. In populism mass support can have different levels of
organization and institutionalization.

Page 1115
populist leaders for the mass support seek to create a particularly
intense connection with their followers. The leaders represent and
lead the people, rescue them from adversity and lead them to
progress. Therefore, populist leaders constantly demonstrate their
closeness to common people and stimulate popular identification
with their leadership. They seek frequent face to face contacts
with the masses, often through television, act in ways that embody
and line out dreams of the common man, promise to include the
line neglected populace in the mainstream of development and
protect it from sinister forces. The relationship between the people
and the leader remains as long as the party shows personal
concern for the followers and a supernatural capacity for problem
solving. Political success thus transforms populism into a different
type of rule that rests on non-populist strategies (Weyland,
2001.p.11). Populist leadership rests on mass support of a
collective, public character or consists of a dispersed set of private
individuals. Populist leaders appeal to the people (Roberts, 2006).

In April 1992 National election in Italy, the ground shook and

long standing political formation moved. Out of this political
earthquake a new political formation arouses. The Lombard
League, the main component of the Northern League won 8.6
percent of the popular vote making it the second largest party in
Lombardy. In local elections of June 1993 in northern cities like
Milan and Turin the Lombard League received more than 35% of
the vote; making it the largest political force in these cities.
Traditional political parties such as the Italian Socialist Party (PSI)
disappeared from the political map altogether, even in Milan where
the party had been the dominant political force for decades. In the
social basis of the Lombard League, the League's initial basis of
support is similar to the Piyhadust movement's in the 1950's;
shopkeepers businessmen in small industry, artisans and

Pagel116
commercial agents. In cities as Milan, Bergamo it drew support
from a cross-section of society (Woods, 1995).

In Western European countries like Germany, Sweden, Italy

and Switzerland, populist parties like Radical Right Wing reject the
establishment of socio-cultural and socio-political system. These
parties do not emphasize on individual achievement, free market
place and a drastic reduction of the role of the state. They mobilize
the people and combine individual and economy with the socio-
political agenda and appeal to the common people (Betz, 1993,
p.43).

Studies of the social basis of support for various radical right-

wing populist parties show that these parties attract voters across
the social spectrum. However, in a number of cases political
support is concentrated in particular social groups for example the
Norwegian Progress Party. A brief survey of the social basis of the
radical populist right shows that these parties, which have been
most successful at the poll have forged an electoral alliance
between segments of the working class and segments of the new
middle class. The rise and success of radical right-wing populism in
Western Europe is thus interpreted as the result of the increasing
social and cultural fragmentation and differentiation of advanced
western societies (Betz, 1993, pp.421-422).

Thaksin's Populism in Thailand can be cited as the most

developed populism in contemporary Asia. Thaksin Shinowatra
achieved massive personal popularity in general election of 2005
and 2006. No previous Thai elected political leader has achieved
such popularity. This support was stronger in rural areas of the
north, north-east and cultural regions and among rural migrants to
the capital. During Thaksin's time in office the term populism was
applied to Thai politics for the first time and rendered into Thai for

Page I 117
the first time to describe this novel cultivation of popular support
and the mechanisms that lay behind it. In Thaksin's populism
there was the projection of a relationship between political leaders
and context. His populism was not mere opportunism but the
response to social demand. He later broadened his political
mission to include reforms that would modernize Thailand
especially the bureaucracy and the political system. The slogan
chosen for his party "The New, act New for every Thai"- reflected
the image he projected as a Modernist and reformer. In the
statement of his political ideas at this there is no social agenda
except for one brief general commitment- "To bring happiness to
the majority of the country." The single minded focus is on
"enabling Thailand to keep up and be competitive with other
countries" (Walaya, 1999, p.211).

Thaksin's speeches of this era do not make use of the term

"the people" and do not imagine any social change other than the
triumph of business over bureaucracy. For the 2001 elections, the
initial party platform focused on measures to help small and
medium business and the centre piece of the media campaign was
a dramatization of Thaksin's own life in which he was cast as a
poor boy who made good as a rich businessman. In December,
2000, he was leveled with corruption charges by the National
Counter Corruption Commission. He was banned for participating
in politics for five years.

For becoming a populist leader he first, manufactured a public

presence significantly greater than that attempted by any previous
Thai Prime Minister, primarily by using state-owned media which
was under his control. He launched weekly radio show in which he
talked to the nation for an hour about his activities and his thought
on issues of the day. He dominated the daily television news and

Page]118
also appeared in several special programmes. Secondly, his
government implemented the three-point electoral program with
extraordinary speed. For the health scheme, a workshop was held
in February, a pilot scheme launched in April and the agrarian debt
relief scheme was made available to 2.3 million debtors by the
same month, while by September the scheme of villages funds was
extended to most of the country's 75,000 villages and 5.3 million
loans approved. He announced a new and leading feature of his
political mission: "Nothing will stand in my way. I am determined
to devote myself on politics in order to lead the Thai people out of
poverty" (The Nation, 23 December, 2000).

He launched a series of tours covering every region of the

country. He listened to reports on local problems and petitions for
budget assistance. In many cases, he then gave instant approval
for projects. Prior to election in February 2005, Thaksin made
further tours mainly in rural areas of the North and North-East.
Thaksin announced a much more elaborate programme of election
promises than in 2001, including an extension of the village funds,
land deeds for every landholder, a government pond dug for
anyone prepared to pay a small fuel cost1 four new cheap loan
schemes, free distribution of cows, training schemes for the poor1
cheaper school fees, special payments for children forced to drop
out of school because of poverty, an educational gift bag for every
new mother/ care centers for the elderly, more sports facilities in
urban areas, cheaper phone calls and an end to eviction from
slums 1 more cheap housing/ lower taxes1 more investment in the
universal health scheme 1 a nationwide scheme of irrigation and a
deadline for the end of poverty- "Four years ahead, there will be
no poor people" (The Nation, 18, 19, Oct. 2004; Bangkok Post 7
Nov 2004).

Page\119
 After the election of 2005, he toured less but made
increasing use of a practice begun in 2001 of holding occasional
"mobile cabinet meeting" in an upcountry location. These events
created occasion for local people and officials to present petition to
Thaksin. Thaksin's Government had launched three major schemes
of social provision and promised many more. The distinctive
characteristic of most of these schemes was that they were
available to all. Previous governments had promised cheap or free
health care for the poor by distributing cards. Villages benefited
from Thaksin's populist programs. They felt empowered because
they were responsible for putting him in power. Thaksin's populism
was a response to the social demand with roots in the social
structure molded by Thailand's strategy of outward-oriented
economic development.

Leaders with many similarities to Thaksin have appeared in

many other countries in recent years. In Turkey in 2004, for
example a new Prime Minister, whose party's base of support
comprised of small-scale producers and the informal sector,
launched a party of populist schemes and stood aggressively
against the country's political tradition going back to Ataturk in the
1920's. But Thaksin's populism is unique but follows in broad
outline a pattern that was dominant in Latin America. The content
of his populism began with a simple raft of redistribution policies
which responded to the needs and aspirations of the informal mass
that constituted around two-thirds of the work force and the
electorate.

CAUSES FOR THE RISE OF POPULISM

Now let us come to the question under what condition does

populism arise in modern democracies? There are crucial
permissive causes, the weak intermediary organizations especially

Page\120
not established parties, where parties are highly institutionalized,
they control recruitment and prevent outsiders from rising. Strong
parties make their cadres climb a long ladder of positions before
they reach national office. Newcomers can attract popular support
without joining established organizations by appealing to voter's
who lack loyalties to existing parties. The very weakness of
parties leads to constant conflict within the party. Their frequent
party switching makes they face the problem of building a stable
populist party. Thus, party weakness allows populist outsiders to
emerge. The only way populists can rise in countries with strong
parties is by capturing an established populist organization. Since
in populist parties, such as Argentina's Peranists Organizational
Commitment is always mitigated by loyalty to personal leaders,
populist aspirants find sufficient space inside these organizations
and can use them to their personal will after reaching top position
(Weyland, 1999).

Populist leaders emerge under only two conditions: if parties

are not stable and established or if populist aspirants can take over
an existing populist party. By contrast, where parties are strong,
populist politicians remain marginal, thus party weakness or the
presence of a populist party is a necessity. After taking office,
populist leaders have a distinct relationship to parties. Besides
weakening opposition parties they often refuse to join and
strengthen the organization that helped them win power and
support their government. The main reason is populist's desire to
retain wide personal latitude.

Nee-liberal populists have indeed kept parties at bay, or if

they emerged through an old populist party, subordinated them to

Page 1121
personal will and weakened their institutional strength. 35 In the
eyes of neoliberal experts, lobbying organization allow vested
interests to hinder economic restructuring. Therefore/ populist and
nee-liberals coincide in keeping many sectors of business, labour
and professionals at bay. These however reflect the market
reforms. Populist leaders thus seek and find stronger mass support
among unorganized sectors, such as Latin American white collar
employees/ shopkeepers and entrepreneur. These segments which
lack institutionalized participation in national politics see personal
leaders as their main channels of access to government. Populist
leaders who did not rise through old populist organizations,
unorganized sectors are more likely to support contemporary
populists. 36

ELECTORAL POPULISM IN SIKKIM

This part of the chapter deals with the electoral populism in

Sikkim, especially the electoral populism of the SDF. Before
studying the electoral populism of SDF it is also necessary to see
whether Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) under Nar Bahadur
Bhandari used populism to mobilize the people and also it is
necessary to see that on what conditions SDF emerged as a
Populist Party?

Nar Bahadur Bhandari ruled Sikkim from 1979 to 1994. When

the party was in power it followed certain policies through which it
could get the support of the people. It promised to protect the
rights and interest of the Sikkimese 1 maintain communal harmony 1

35
Populist leaders resent the efforts of intermediary organizations to restrict
their personal latitude through ceaseless demands and forceful pressure.
36
In Argentina, Peru and Venezuela leaders' mass following came from poorer
segments, especially the urban informal sector and the rural poor. Populist
leaders mobilize these unorganized sectors and integrate them into politics
(Weyland, 1999, p.386).

Page\122
maintain national integrity and safeguard freedom and democracy
in the state. The party (SSP) promised to uplift the standard of
living of the people by implementing poverty alleviation
programmes, improvement in Agriculture, education, Health care,
Social Welfare schemes, Safe drinking water, rural electrification,
and rural housing schemes (Sikkim Herald, 21, Jan 1984, vol-27,
No-2)

To improve the educational system in the state it promised

free education, upgrade existing schools and colleges, promised
mid-day meals to the children up to class V and promised free
education up to class XII, and free text books. In the health sector
it promised to increase the number of hospitals, sub-centers, free
medical aid and social welfare schemes like establishment of Old
Age Homes for the Disabled and the Destitute institutions in the
state (Sikkim Herald, Jan, 19'" 1985, Vol-29, No.5). To make the
lives of the common people more easy the party promised the
construction of roads and bridges as to improve means of
communication, build canals for irrigation. It promised the
establishment of Veterinary and Animal husbandry centers,
Panchayat Ghars, Public libraries, Multi-purpose cooperative
societies and grant loans to the educated unemployed youths and
farmers.

To generate employment avenues, the party promised the

development of industries, small-scale industries, handlooms and
handicrafts and other small industrial units. It also promised to
give financial assistance to the needy people like artisans,
entrepreneurs and businessmen as well as unemployed youths
through Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment
Cooperation, Financial and Sikkim Khadi and Village Industrial
Road (Sikkim Herald, 5th July 1989, Vol.27, No.23). It promised

Pagej123
Pre-matric and post-matric scholarships to Scheduled Tribe and
Scheduled Caste candidates, grant housing loans at a highly
subsidized rate, provide home for homeless and impart training for
capacity building and skill development (Sikkim Express, Jan 26'h
1984).

The party (SSP) could mobilise the masses easily with such
promises and policies as in Sikkim there existed no other group or
political parties which could stand as a strong opposition to the
SSP. Moreover, the political activities was dominated and
controlled by only one political party, i.e. the SSP. The party was
at an advantage and could win the Legislative Assembly election in
1985 with 55.04% of votes. Out of the 32 seats the party won 30
seats and also won the lone Lok Sabha seat. In the General
Assembly election of 1989, the party (SSP) won the 32 seats in
the Legislative Assembly.

However the promises and policies laid down by the party in

the party manifesto was a repeated one like, the reservation of
seats for the Sikkimese Nepalese, Son of the Soil policy 1
Constitutional recognition of the Nepali language etc, except the
promise of granting Citizenship. The change in the attitude of Nar
Bahadur Bhandari in his later phase of his rule in Sikkim made
him unpopular amongst the people of Sikkim. His misgovernment,
corruption charges against him and the formation of opposition
groups in Sikkim Jed to his downfall and brought an end to his
autocratic rule in Sikkim.

The Bhandari government failed to keep his pledges. It

promised to establish real democracy in Sikkim and undertake all
round development of the state. Development was brought by his
government in the state but not to the extent that it satisfied the
aspirations of the people. It promised to bring real democracy in

Page/124
the state but in the later phase of its rule 1 the opposition parties
like Indian National Congress charged the government with anti-
democratic and anti- people activities in the state. The party also
had pledged to remove corruption in the state but the Chief
Minister himself was charged with corruption cases. The Bhandari
government failed to live up to the expectation of the people. All
this made Nar Bahadur Bhandari and his party unpopular among
the people.

Pawan Chamling 1 a minister in the earlier government under

SSP was expelled from the ministry as well as the party. He
opposed the government/party in power in the Legislative
Assembly for its misgovernment and anti-people political activities
in the state. In the General Assembly election, 1994, SDF secured
19 seats out of a total 32 seats and formed government bringing
to an end to a long established SSP rule in Sikkim. Chamling's
success in this was because of his capability to convince and
mobilize the rural masses 1 the unorganized sections of the society.

Like in Latin America 1 it is also noted in Sikkim that the

leaders are charismatic individuals and exercise powers by
maintaining direct contact with the large unorganized mass of
followers. There is a connection between the leaders and followers.
The leader for this mass support creates intense connection with
the followers and be a guide and lead the people in progress.
There is a connection with the followers and be a guide and lead
the people in progress. There is face to face contact with the
masses through different ways. In Sikkim the people can meet the
Chief Minister personally and put their grievances directly. For this
the Chief Minister has fixed a day in a week only to meet the
public.

Pagel125
 Like other populist leaders, Chamling also promised for the
development of some sections of the people and give their rights.
Chamlong promised that Limboo and Tamang were to be included
in the Scheduled Tribe's list and Rai, Gurung, Manger, Bhujel,
Sunwar in the OBC list which was neglected and denied by the
earlier governments. Chamling promised to secure and grant the
rights of these communities by including them in the Scheduled
Tribe and OBC lists.

Chamling claims the party to be a pro-people party which

stands for social upliftment of the poor people in the state. For the
development and preservation of the identities of the ethnic
groups like Lepcha, Bhutia, he promised to safeguard and develop
the languages of these ethnic groups by making a proposal to
include it in the Eighth Schedule of the constitution. Chamling
granted land to build house to the landless Sikkimese people. The
focus was also on women empowerment, environment and peace
activities. In this context, Chamling received an award and was
declared as the Greenest Chief Minister by the Centre for Science
and Environment, New Delhi on 24th September 1999. Chamling
gives importance to Women's Empowerment in the state. There is
a separate Women's Wing in his party who are active supporters
and party activists. Certain reservations are made in different
fields for women.

In western countries, the populist leaders support base is

mainly shopkeepers, businessmen in small industry, artisans and
commercial agents. In Sikkim 1 Chamling's support base is mainly
the agricultural rural masses. These unorganized groups are
mobilised and integrated into politics.

The most important comparison of Chamling's populism can be

made with Thaksin's populism in Thailand. Like Thaksin, Chamling

Pagel126
achieved massive personal popularity in the General Assembly
Election in 2004. Out of 32 seats he secured 32 seats. His support
was largest in the rural areas. The slogan chosen for his party was
"Janta Ko Raj Ma Jantai Raja" (in popular regime, people are
sovereign). This reflects his view of giving people power. Initially
the party (SDF) focused on safeguarding democracy and gurantee
the political, social and economic justice to the people. Chamling
promised complete safeguard of Sikkimese rules, traditions and
rule of law. Re-orientation of economy of the state was also one of
his initial focus. Chamling announced to set aside 70°/o of annual
budget for economic development in the 1999 assembly election.

Cham ling made a commitment to make Sikkim a "New Sikkim

and Happy Sikkim" by making it a self-sufficient and self-reliant
state. Chamling travelled to all the four districts meeting people
and listening to their grievances and understanding their problems.
He toured more and held public meetings during the election
period and became a more popular figure amongst the masses.

At the State Level Panchayat Meet which was held on June

1995, he announced to exempt Sikkim from income tax and make
Sikkim income tax Free State 1 which the earlier government had
failed to do. Prior to the Panchayat election of September 1997,
Chamling declared a grant of Rs 1,600 Crore for development of
Panchayats. He stressed that every village would get a school,
electricity and "roti, kapda aur makaan" for every citizen. He
promised job opportunities for 2000 people and 1000 contractors
at Teesta Hydel Project in Sikkim.

The party in its election manifesto of 1999 promised old age

pension of Rs 200 per month for the old people above the age of
65 years and promised to increase the pension up to Rs 400 per
month. He also promised to give financial assistance for medical

Page I 127
treatment to the handicapped and orphans. In the same year
Cham\ing announced to give free tuition fee in all government
schools, distribute free text books and exercise books. All
students up to class V were to be provided free uniforms and mid-
day meals. On the occasion of 48'' Independence day, 15,
August, 1995, at Gangtok, Chamling announced to issue ration
card to all the people and give 10 rupees per kg rice at Rs 5 per
kg to all the ration card holders. Chamling announced new
schemes of providing houses to 15,000 people in a phased manner
over next five years, providing 2-point electric connection free of
cost to 30,000 houses over the next five years and increase the
number of beneficiaries under the Old Age Pension scheme in
order to lower the scale of poverty in the state. He announced that
he will introduce maternity allowance at the rate of Rs 300 for the
people. He introduced a scheme of providing Rs 5,000 to the poor
families to enable them to perform the social and religious rites for
the dead. He further announced to develop the core-sectors of
economy by increasing agricultural production and increase
industrial growth.

At a public meeting at Gangtok in January 1999, Chamling

announced to grant Rs 20,000 to each poor family in the state. On
the eve of Labour Day on May 1 ''. 1999, he made commitments to
uplift the proletariat section of society for the revolutionary
change. Chamllng announced the establishment of a model village
in all constituencies of Sikkim to improve the living condition of the
rural poor. Thus in many respects SDF resemble the form of
electoral populism of Thaksin's TRT party in Thailand. Like TRT,
SDF held an annual Conference 1 Janta Mela and occasional regional
meetings.

Page\128
 SDF came up with a new vision in 2004 Assembly Election of
"New Vision of New Sikkim. In the Election Manifesto of 2004,
General Assembly election, the party strived to make Sikkim new
and happy Sikkim. Within a span of ten years, the party promised
to make Sikkim a poverty Free State, fully literate, corruption Free
State, fully organic state, unemployment free state, a producing
state and a peaceful state in the country. It also promised to raise
the state revenue up to Rs 100 Crore and increase the per capita
income up to one lakh. It also pledged to reduce Below Poverty
Line percent to 0% and use 80% of the state budget for the rural
development. The party promised to make Sikkim the eco-tourism
capital of India and major trade center of Eastern India by the year
2015.

Chamling had proved to be a populist leader. Prior to his

coming to politics he was engaged in social activities and his works
revealed his concern and interest in the rural society. The content
of his populism began with his initial policies of restoring
democracy and re-orientation of economy, which responded to the
needs and aspirations of the unorganized masses mainly the rural
agricultural masses which constitutes 75% of the total population
of Sikkim. The people supported Chamling because he gave them
the feeling of empowerment. Chamling appealed to the people by
setting himself as an enemy of the "old politics" represented by
the SSP. Chamling's populism like Thaksin's Thailand is not just a
platform policy but matches the three points of Robert's definition
namely mass mobilization, personalized leadership and a challenge
to established life.

Page]129
 Chapter III
ECONOMIC POLICIES OF THE SIKKIM
DEMOCRATIC FRONT (SDF)
GOVERNMENT 1994-2004

The Chapter analyses the economic policies of the SDF government after
it came to power in 1994 till the year 2004. We look at the performance
of the government since policies pursued by the SDF government helped
the party in order to construct a base more particularly a rural and OBC
base and this had helped the party in a further increase in its support
since its formation. The economic policies, which the party pursued was
because in its initial stage 1 the party gave much emphasis on the
economic development of the state, since development in the economic
sector brings over all development in the state. We analyse these
policies of the SDF led government in the major sectors of the state; the
Agricultural sector, the Industrial Sector, and the Service Sector.

The Agricultural Sector

In Sikkim more than 65% of the population is engaged in agriculture and

therefore, agriculture is the backbone of the state's economy. The party
thus gave more importance to the development of agriculture. For this
the party promised to grant land in the beginning in 1994, particularly
waste land to the landless Sikkimese to raise their standard of living. The
SDF promised to open Cooperative banks for granting agricultural loans
to the farmers and support the rural people in the increase of production
and productivity of vegetables, fruits, flowers and other cash crops in the
state.

In 1994, in its election manifesto the party promised, to give

agriculture the status of industry. It also ensured that the villages would
produce market and distribute all kinds of agricultural products in a
scientific and profitable manner. It promised that to increase productivity
the progressive farmers will be given all necessary inputs.

Pagej130
In the year 1999, the government came up with new progressive
programmes for the agricultural sector to provide better opportunities to
the farmers. The Programme included the appointment of an advisor
(gram sevak) to the farmers in every gram Panchayats. The government
decided to provide the farmers with scientific technologies, variety of
seeds, organic manure, training and tools for better productivity. The
government in its new Progressive Programme's decided to organize an
exhibition show based on agriculture to encourage and help the farmers.
The Programme's also included tea cultivation in all four districts of
Sikkim and mushroom cultivation was also highlighted. The government
decided to help the farmers with dairy farming, rabbit farming, poultry
farming, piggery and fishery.

To increase production of food grains and agriculture as a whole

there has been a major shift in the policy of the government under the
SDF. The inputs like, seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, implements, tools etc.
are now being dealt with by SIMFED; Sikkim Marketing Federation since
1996. The production of quality seeds in government farms as well as in
farmer's fields is being encouraged. Agriculture has been developed
through appropriate practices of soil and water conservationY

Within a period of three years of coming to power, the Sikkim

Democratic Front helped the people through various schemes to make
them self-reliant. Scientific agriculture with improved seeds and
seedlings were distributed. More than 400 quintals of ginger seeds were
distributed to poor farmers. To encourage floriculture, horticulture, fruit,
flower saplings were distributed free of cost. The government distributed
milch cows and .piglets to the poor agriculturalists to increase their
purchasing power and make them self-reliant. It distributed fertilizer
subsidy to all the farmers in Sikkim. The government also took up
various measures to increase forest cover in the state and for this the
year 1995 was declared as 'Green Revolution Year". Various measures

37
The production of quality seeds on a large scale was emphasized by the SDF
government in the discussion held during the visit of Parliamentary study group
on seeds in the month of August, 1996.

Page\131
were taken to increase forest cover in the state. The year 1995 was
declared as "Green Revolution Year". The achievements made in the
food-grains production side during three years of its tenure was 1,05,000
tones in 1994-1995, which increased to 1,08,000 tones in 1995-1996,
and then to 1,07,000 tones in 1996-1997 (Govt. of Sikkim, Department
of Information and Public Relations, 1997, p.25).

After coming to power in 1994, the party made efforts for

maximum utilization of the rabi fallow for double and multiple cropping in
order to raise the foodgrains production in the state. In manures and
fertilizers, the emphasis is given on the production of balanced use of
fertilizer nutrients. The high yielding varieties of seeds has replaced the
local varieties for improvement in production. The management of pest
problems in crop has been playing an important role. The achievement
in terms of area covered and the consumption of technical grade
materials are 50,000 hectare and 20 tones in 1994-1995, 30,000
hectare and 30 tones 1995-1996 and 30,000 hectare and 32 tons in
1996-1997. Besides a total of 330 plant protection equipments were
distributed from 1995-1997 (Govt. of Sikkim, Department of Information
and Public Relations, 1997, p.27).

From 1994-1997, the Sikkim Democratic Front organized regular

Training Programmes under the FIC-Farmer Training Centre and training
workshops were organized in which 6000 farmers were trained in 1994-
1995, 5000 farmers in 1995-1996 and 8000 farmers in 1996-1997
(Department of Information and Public Relations, Govt. of Sikkim, 1997,
p.27). 38

According to the survey conducted by the Department of Agriculture

many improvements and developments were noticed in the agricultural
sector. The production of oil seeds has been enhanced with the oil seed
production programme was organised and following this programme the
oil seeds production increased to 1050 quintals in 1994-1995, 989 tons

38 In the first three years of SDF rule (1994-1997), the Agriculture Education
and Research scheme where varietal screening and the fertilizers response
trials were undertaken.

Pagel132
in 1995-1996 and 1000 tons in 1996-1997. The programme also
included a new bio-laboratory-Integrated Plant Protection Laboratory
which is in operation since 1994-95. ICDP-the Integrated Coarse Cereal
Development Programme- a new programme was taken up in the eighth
plan where large number of mini-kit trials was conducted in the farmer's
field to make it possible for the farmers to exercise their choice in the
crop varieties.

A new board- Agriculture Department and Farmers' Welfare Board

was established in 1995 with a Chairman and seven Directors. This board
as an advisory body concentrates on guiding the agriculture department
to accelerate the newly oriented programme for the farmers to improve
their living. With these improvements made in the state it is clear that to
some extent the Sikkim Democratic Front made an effort towards the
development of economy of the state, particularly agriculture within a
span of three years of its coming to power.

An analysis of the developments in the agricultural sector shows

that the SDF led government made certain changes in the 1990's than
the SSP led government in the 1980's. We can see rapid growth in food
grains production. During the tenure of the earlier government infra-
structure in agriculture was increased by establishing soil testing
laboratory, VLW-village level worker, circles were increased and more
land was purchased for research study and land development. 39 We
cannot deny the fact that the earlier government also made
developments in this sector. However, the government under the Sikkim
Democratic Front gave more impulsive attention towards development of
agriculture. In the mid 1990's, the Department of Horticulture was
created realizing the potential of horticultural crops in Sikkim. And since
2003-2004 Sikkim has also been laying importance on organic farming.
For this, the Department of Agriculture declared to convert two
government farms as organic farms- Nazitam (East district) and Melli

~
9
VLW- Village Level Workers are trained in State Institute of Rural
Development, Karfectar, by providing 2 years Diploma Course. VLW centres
have been established in 163 Gram Panchayats of the state.

Pagel133
Dara (South district). The department also selected 100 villages by using
E.M compost package.

Economic growth under the SDF government has been rapid.

After 1995-96 the Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) and per capita
income have recorded a very steady growth. The NSDP at current prices
increased from Rs 426 Crore in 1995-96 to Rs 891 Crore in 2001-2002.
The per capita income also increased from Rs 8905 to Rs 16143 during
1995-1996. This shows a high growth rate of 18.19 percent and 13.53
percent per annum respectively (Govt. of India, Economic Survey,
Ministry of Finance, New Delhi, 2002-2003, p. 12~). For economic growth
the government under the SDF has developed the state's rich potentials
in agro-based industry like horticulture, medicinal plants, food
processing, tea, animal husbandry, handloom and textiles, forest
resources, eco-tourism, information technology and education. By
providing all the above incentives, the government is trying to give
agriculture the status of an industry.

After 1995-1996 both the Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) and
per capita income have increased. The NSDP increased from Rs 426
Crores in 1995-1996 toRs 891 Crores in 2001-2002. The following chart
shows the increase in NSDP and Per Capita Income.

Pagel134
 Chart:l
Net State Domestic Production
(At current prices in Rs Crore)

900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1980- 1990- 1993- 1995- 2001-
81 91 94 96 02

Source: Government of India, Economic Survey 2003-2004, Ministry of

Finance, New Delhi

The Department of Agriculture and Horticulture have adopted measures

to discourage the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Most of the
crops in Sikkim grow in organic manure for commercial and non-
commercial items like cardamom/ orchids, sweet orange, cherry, pepper
and buckwheat as unique pulses. With the initiative of the Chief Minister,
Pawan Chamling, the President of SDF Sikkim has become the first state
to opt for organic farming in the country. The Department of Agriculture
and Horticulture under the SDF government adopted new agricultural
schemes to improve the agricultural food production in the state. The
total food production has increased from 58.56 thousand tons in 1980-
1981 to 1.30 lakh tons in 2000-2001.
 Table: 1

The following table shows the growth in food production from 1980-
2001(in Tones)

CROPS 1980-1981 1990-1991 2000-2001

Maize 28,930 57,600 59,612

Rice 10,630 22,040 21,358

Wheat 10,300 13,080 10,104

Finger Millet 3,840 4,620 4,323

Barley 460 1,180 1,210

Buck Wheat 1,380 1,420 1,530

Pulses 3,020 5,430 5,165

Total 58,560 105,370 103,211

Source: Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Sikkim- Economy Survey &

Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India, Department of Planning and
Development 2003.

Table: 2
The following table shows the horticulture production in the year 1975-
76 to 2001-2002.

HORTICULTURE PRODUCTION (1975-76 TO 2002-2002) in TONNES

CROPS 1975-76 1980-81 1985-86 1990-91 2001-02

FRUITS 4800 6350 8200 10500 6~00

VEGETABLES 2000 3400 13900 15000 26000

POTATO 5000 6646 16400 18000 23715

LARGE 2300 3500 3900 2600 4200

CARDAMOM

GINGER 2000 3200 10900 16000 23000

TOTAL 16100 23296 53700 62790 86465

SOURCE: Department of Horticulture, Govt. of Sikkim, Annual Plan, 2003-04.

Page\136
 After the SDF assumed power in 1994, Sikkim has made progress in
poultry production and mild (diary) production. Growth in the
horticulture sector has increased.

During the period 1995-1999-2000, the state recorded an area

coverage of 71,869 hectares and production of 97,228 tones with
average yield of 1,353 kgs per hectare for cereals like rice, wheat,
maize, finger millet, barley and buckwheat. 870 Kgs per hectare was
recorded for the pulses like urd, rice, bean, rajmah, field pea, and cluster
bean. And oil seeds like rapeseed, mustard, soyabean and sunflower had
a area coverage of 9,786 hectares and production of 7,136 tones. The
state achieved the highest over productivity level in rice with average
yield per hectare of 1,473 kgs in 1999-2000 with the introduction of high
yielding variety like Pant Dhan 10 (Govt. of Sikkim, Information and
Public Relations, 1997). The productivity of Cereal crops has gone up
from 1408.33 kg per hectare to 1508.66 kg per hectare even with the
40
decrease in the area cereals.

The Sikklm Democratic Front government increased the number of

watersheds in the state from 12 ( 4 in south district, 3 in west district, 2
in east district and 3 in north district) to 24 in 1997-1998 which included
8 in south district, 7 in west district and 6 in east district and 3 in north
district (Govt. of Sikkim, Department of Information and Public
Relations, 1997, p.6).

The government has started new centrally sponsored schemes like

Macro-management in Agriculture and Women in Agriculture from 2000-
2001 to provide support to agriculture development and to encourage
women's participation in agricultural activities. For the growth of
agriculture the areas like genetic engineering, blo-insecticides,
integrated nutrient management, integrated pest management and agri-
business management are being incorporated in the field of research of

40
Total food production in the state has increased from 105.69 thousand tonnes
in 1994-95 to 109.11 lakh tonnes in 2006-07. However, the area under
cultivation has reduced from 78.85 thousand hectares to 74.67 thousand
hectares.

P age 1137
agriculture (Department of Information and Public Relations,
Government of Sikkim, 1997). The government allotted more budgetary
grants for the improvement in the Agricultural sector.

The table below shows the revenue generated in the agricultural

sector from 1999 to 2003.

Table: 3
REVENUE GENERATED (1999-2003)

1999- 2000- 2001-

2000 2001 2003
Denzong
Agri. Co-operative Society 678 1270 1891
Hide and Skin Livestock Checkpost - - -

Others 737 232 149

Total 1415 1502 2040

. .
Source: Directorate of Econom1cs, Stat1st1cs, Momtonng and Evaluation,
Gangtok, Sikkim, 2004-05

Table: 4

Annual Credit Plan 2003-2004 AGRICULTURE AND ALLIED ACTIVITIES

Name of the bank Target Achievement % Achievement

No. Amt. No. Amt. No. Amt.

State Bank of India 831 33727 520 7974 62.6 23.6

Central Bank of 318 14949 67 1415 21.1 9.5

India

u.c.o Bank 65 1849 '1 40 1.5 2.2

Canara Bank 7 386 0 0 0.0 0.0

Vijaya Bank 6 409 0 0 0.0 0,0

Bank of Baroda 6 424 0 0 0.0 0,0

Bank of India 6 507 5 125 83.3 24.7

Union Bank of India 84 2113 25 473 29.8 22.4

Page 1138
 Punjab National 25 981 20 263 80.0 26.8
Bank of India
--
S.l.S.C.O Bank Ltd. 0 11000 128 1598 0.0 14.5

U.T.l Bank Ltd. 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0

Total 1348 66345 766 11888 56.8% 17.9%

.
Source: S1kk1m: A Stat1st1cal Profile, 2004-2005, p.46

The Industrial Sector

Industry is the key sector from where the economic growth in the state
can be accelerated. The SDF claims that the economic condition in the
state as a whole was in total distress when it came to power in
December 1994. The SDF also claimed that the industrial activity in the
state was given low priority by the earlier government. Thus, the new
government under the SDF gave much emphasis on the development of
Industries in the state.

During the 12th Lok Sabha election, 1998 the SDF in its election
manifesto promised to reconstruct and revive the sick industries in the
state and provide full impetus to the industries that are in good shape.
To generate much needed employment opportunities to the youth, the
government promised to approach the centre to finance the
infrastructure for industries. The table below shows that the Plan
allocation in the industrial sector has undergone major changes under
the SDF led government.

Pagej139
 Table: 5

Sikkim Plan Allocation: Industrial sector (1954-2007)

Sectors I Plan II Plan Ill Plan IV V Plan VI Plan VII Plan VI Plan IX Plan X Plan
Plan II

Industries 43 05 6.7 35 6.6 4.2 3.38 3.48 2.48 1.8

Total Plan 3.24 6.637 9.71 20.36 40.10 147.8 216.67 770.36 1091.32 1655.74
{Rscrore)

SOURCE: M.P Lama, Sikkim Human Development Report 2001, Social, Science
Press, New Delhi, 2001. Computed from Draft Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-
2007), Government of Sikkim, 2002.

Even after Sikkim's merger with the Indian Union industry in

Sikkim was still in an immature stage. Before the SDF took over power in
1994 the industrial units were providing employment to only over 4,000
persons which was hardly about one percent of the state's population.
Certain reasons are responsible for poor industrial performance and
industrial sickness, like; default in loan repayment, lack of management
of units and lack of technical tools and scientific methods. The units
lacked management and technical tools and methods. Sikkim Khadi and
Village Industries Board is running 13 cotton production-cum-training
centers and 6 woolen centers and 7 sales centers providing employment
opportunities to about 250 persons. But still SO% of the centers are sick.
According to Sikkim Human Development Report, 2001, the main
constraints are-lack of knowledge of the entrepreneur regarding
manufacturing activities, lack of raw material, absence of proper
manpower, poor marketing network, inflexible land laws and lack of
enabling laws, under developed infrastructure facilities, shortage of
credit and finance.

Therefore, considering these factors as constraints in its

development, the SDF government implemented certain measures and
policies towards the development of the industrial sector in Sikkim. At
the eve of the Panchayat election scheduled for the gth of October 2002,

Page]140
the party president, Pawan Cham ling promised- to help the villagers and
young people to stay in the village instead of migrating to urban areas in
search of better livelihood. He promised to provide better employment
opportunities to the people by starting a village level agro-based
industry.

The SDF government promised to reopen and maintain the sick

and closed industries in Sikkim. This can be a source of employment to
the unemployed people. At least one industry was to be established in
every village. The government further promised the promotion of
cultivation of tea in all the four districts of Sikkim, opening ginger and
cardamom factory. 41 It was promised that the government would open
hydro projects in Sikkim and promote dairy farming and renew khadi and
small scale industries which were closed during the earlier government
under the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SDF, Election Manifesto, 1994,
p.12).

Following its promise towards industrial development a long term

industrial policy was adopted by the government under the SDF rule. The
development in this field was the revival of Government Food
42
Preservation Factory (GFPF). The government took over the
management of units. Today, the products are famous and in high
market demands including fruit juice, orange squash, pickles etc. with
the brand name of "Sikkim Supreme".

In 1996, to speed up industrial development and generate

employment opportunities, a new industrial policy was formulated. The
policy envisaged- the creation of an atmosphere conducive to industrial
growth taking into consideration the availability of natural resources and
the local socio-economic environment. Maintenance of the Green State
image while promoting industrial activities. It also included the
rehabilitation of sick industries with comprehensive assistance and

41
These are the two cash crops which the climatic condition of Sikkim favour's
its cultivation.
42
The industrial unit was handed over to one private party during the earlier
government, which was closed due to mismanagement.

Page I 141
guidance from the Department of Industry and privatization of selected
state public sector undertakings. Link between agriculture and agro-
based industries to develop the agricultural sector, promotion of Khadi,
village, cottage, small and ancillary industries to balance regional
development was emphasised. Providing adequate support in the form of
common facilities like service centers, cheap raw material, technical
inputs, marketing network, skill development for promotion of the
traditional handloom, handicrafts and artisan sector. Development of
tourism as an industry, making Sikkim developed as major center for
manufacture and marketing of tea was stressed. Rapid development of
basic infrastructure to promote industrial growth, encouragement of self
employment and identification of such areas were undertaken. Human
Resource development through appropriate skill and entrepreneurship
development programme's, behavioral training at district, sub-division
and block levels was given emphasis. Promotion and protection of
interest of the local people was to be encouraged. Joint venture was to
be encouraged between local entrepreneurs and industrialists from
outside Sikkim. It stressed the need for attraction of both internal and
external investors and formation of suitable mechanisms for attracting
and encouraging the growth of capital formation in Sikkim.

The government seeks to achieve these objectives by pursuing the

following strategies- identification of thrust areas and effective promotion
of industries in these areas, announcement of attractive package and
fiscal incentives, special promotional measures for rural and traditional
industry, establishing industrial estates and growth centers to facilitate
integrated development of industry. Development of a rehabilitation
package for the sick industries, revamping the public sector
undertakings, creation of appropriate organizational arrangements,
development of marketing support systems and development of
appropriate training facilities.

For the development promotion of the old traditions in handloom

and handicrafts the government has been facilitating the people to
participate in various local fairs and festival exhibitions within and

Page(142
outside the state. The artisans are deputed in different market need
programme, craft bazaar etc. which is sponsored by Development
Commission For Handicrafts, Govt. of India, New Delhi. The government
has been conducting workshops for development of different technical
and traditional arts.

Table: 6

ACHIEVEMENTS IN HANDLOOM AND HADICRAFTS FOR THE

LAST FIFTEEN YEARS 1985-2000

YEAR ~oof 1 ~o.of 1 Rate of Stipend 1 "':.~_!'aid Budget

Branch Trainees workers I
?~o~ed value ' ::ruction
Centre admitted under 1
.~:~, (Rsin (Rsin
created 1 a..... ·~ 1 lakhs) lakhs)
[B,O

1 463 ~ lo- - 305.1

Source: u~~-' :of anc. Ha1 Govt. of'"" 2005

The state government in 1996 declared certain state schemes or

incentives for industries. These incentives were state capital investment
subsidy, subsidy on interest on working capital, concession on state and

Page\143
central sales tax, price preference, subsidy in captive power
consumption, subsidy in consultancy service, subsidy in study tours and
implant training, exemption of security deposit or earnest money,
international standard institute certification, subsidy on registration fee
of promotion council, Indian standard institution, commodity board,
chamber of Commerce, Deferment of excise duty and exemption from
payment of income tax (Department of Information and Public Relations,
Govt. of Sikkim, December, 1994).

In 1997, the department under the present government granted 96

numbers of permanent legislation to small scale industries and tiny
industries. In 1997-1998, Temi Tea recorded the highest production, i.e.
1,16,000 kg tea leaves. 43 Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment
Corporation Ltd. (SIDICO) was established in March 1997 in
collaboration with State Financial corporative and small scale industries
Development Corporation. It provides long term loans for cottage, tiny,
small scale industries, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes and taxis. The
Sikkim General Food Industries situated at Singtam, East Sikkim has
been handed over to the Swiss party (Red Orchid) as a joint venture
company with the state government on 1st August 1996. A medium scale
industry especially in the power intensive sector like Ferro Alloys showed
interest and another unit Akshay Input has begin project activities at
Mamring, south Sikkim. Trainings for the rural artisans and small scale
entrepreneurs with the help of professionals from outside have been
provided by the Government of Sikkim.

The Sikkim Precision Industries Ltd (SPIL) Namchi was conceived in

March 1998. It was established for industrial development of South and
West Sikkim to provide employment to the people of these districts. A
new high technology project was identified and the government decided
to establish new public sector company to undertake the project. The
Department of Industry provides consultancy services to the aspiring
industrialist/entrepreneur for setting up self-venture unit through Small

43
Temi Tea was conferred a certificate by IMO Control Pvt, Ltd Bangalore
declaring it as Black Orthodox Tea as Organic Conversion in 2005.

Page\144
Industries Services Institute (SIS!) Government of India, Tadong and
Sikkim Consultancy Services (SICON), Gangtok and Sikkim Consultancy
services at district level industries, keeping center at East and North
districts. Free consultancy services provided to employed youths for
setting their own unit and establishment for self-employment (Govt. of
Sikkim, Information and Public Relations, 2001).

The government under the SDF has been able to provide training for
rural artisans and small scale entrepreneurs by the department within
four districts in collaboration with SISI-Small Industries Service Institute,
SICON-Sikkim Consultancy Services, SIDBI-a nationalized bank working
in cooperation with the state banks. Provisional and permanent
registration to small scale industries and tiny industries is being
provided. SIDICO (Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment
Corporation Ltd.) was set up in 1997 has been engaged in promoting
financial development of small scale industries, cottage, small and
medium sectors in Sikkim. Recently the corporation has started giving
financial assistance for fixed assets such as land, building etc. with the
aim of setting up an industry. During the last five years form 1995-96 to
1999-2000, it has sanctioned loans amounting to Rs 10,35 Crores to
2147 beneficiaries. Training centers numbering seven in total has been
opened since the party has come to power where training in various
traditional arts and crafts was imparted. The rate of stipend for the
farmers has been increased from a grant of Rs 200 per month to Rs 300
per month and Rs 250-350 per month. Printing of various multi crafts
items is going on with the opening of a new Block Printing section.
Annual Crafts Fairs and Handloom Fairs are being organized to promote
production in these sectors. The sales revenue increased from 35.35
lakhs in 1996 to Rs 60.00 lakhs in 2000-2001 (Govt. of Sikkim,
Information and Public Relations, 2001).

The Union Government extended the new industrial policies for the
state of Sikkim on the line of the existing North- East Industrial and

Page\145
Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIP) in 2003. 44 The policy included
exemption of excise and income tax to all new industrial and expansion
of existing unit for a period of ten years from the date of commencement
of commercial production. The policy granted financial concessions to 12
identified thrust areas in industries. These areas are identified for the
promotion of eco-tourism, handicraft and handloom, floriculture, mineral
based industry, agro-based industry and pharma-products in the state
(M P Lama, 2003, p.SO).

Chart: 2

Sikkim: Companies Registered

200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
1975- 1981- 1986- 1991- 1996- 2000-
80 85 90 95 99 02

Source: Department of Land Revenue, Govt. of Sikkim, 2002

According to the survey carried out by a leading national magazine

'Business Today' in 1997-2000 Sikkim is an investor friendly state. The
survey showed that the quality of electric power, social infrastructure
and state government support have improved in the perception of the

44
After the announcement of NEIIP IN 2003, many reputed companies mostly
pharmaceutical units have set up factories in Siikim.

Page 1146
investors. The table shows the rank of Sikkim in these sectors among the
28 states and union territories of India.

Table: 7

Sikkm: Perception Ranks out of 26 states and Union Territory

Rank Rank Rank Rank Rank Rank

Labour
1995 1997 1999 1995 1997 1999

Physical Labour
13 14 14 16 16 18
Infrastructure availability

Power available
15 11 12 Costof Labour 14 16 11
and cost

Quality of Power 16 14 15 Labour relation 13 11 13

Proximity to Work culture of

12 23 9 18 17 14
posts state

Presence of
Industrial 17 16 18
zones/belts

Quality of Social
Governance infrastructure

State Govt. Proximity to

20 23 16 11 20 15
support markets

Flexibility of
Availability of
State Govt. 17 20 9 22 24 18
raw materials
poll des

Policy Degree of
implementation
11 16 11 20 16 9
urbanization

Quality of local Social

16 9 14 21 20 15
administration infrastructure

Law and Order 12 16 12

Political stability 17 12 11
Source. Busmess Today, Deihl, December, 22, 1977- January 6, 1998, p.
134 and December 22, 1999- January 6, 2000.

The state government has set up the Board of Investment under the
chairmanship of the Chief Minister to implement a SINGLE WINDOW
POLICY. It is an apex body with an objective of providing efficient
services to the prospective investors, grants of facilities and coordination
among government agencies. The government has further designed a

Page 1147
new investor friendly policy with an the enabling laws and procedural
manual for investment. The government has declared some areas of the
state as industrial belt.

At the first Sikkim Investor's Forum meeting held on 22 February

2001 at India International Centre in New Delhi under the chairperson of
Dr. George B. Arsaf, Representative and Regional Director for South
Asia, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Chief
Minister Pawan Chamling led a delegation to the forum. The objectives of
the Forum's meeting were:

i. To introduce the investors to various development activities in

Sikkim and provisions led out by the state for the potential
investors and
ii. To invite the investors to participate in the potential identified
areas like power, software, education, health, horticultures and
tourism (M.P Lama, 2003, p.53).

According to Sikkim Human Development Report, 2001, similar

investment promotion meetings were organized at Kolkata in
collaboration with the confederation of Indian Industry. As a result of all
these policies a number of investors have formally applied for setting up
industrial units in the state.

In May, 1999, the government made some recommendations in

the policy interventions in the industrial sector of the state. The
recommendations were;

• In order to reach the incentives and subsidies extended under the

new industrial policy, 1996, adequate budget provisions and
effective disbursement is needed.
• Estimation that Sikkim needs to generate about 6500 jobs per
annum in order to solve the unemployment problem. This will be
achieved by a mix policy of generating 2000 jobs in agriculture

Page\148
 and service sectors, 1000 in animal husbandry and 1500 in the
industrial sector.
• Clear and investor-friendly policy for the investors.
• Relaxation of land Jaws in order to allow entrepreneurs to acquire
land to set up industrial units.
• To facilitate lowest and transportation, up gradation of Bagdogra
Airport as National and International Airport.
• For availability of financial benefits to the industrial units,
commercial Banks were to be established.
• Setting up of central Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to
strengthen the existing state PSUs.
• Attraction of new industrial units by industrialists from outside as
well as non- Resident Indians to improve industrial and social
infrastructure.
• Development of tea industry in the state .
• To encourage self-employment set up yarn bank providing woolen
and cotton yarns to the weavers at a reasonable price.
• Training institutes to set up to provided training facilities in
various technical fields (Sikkim Human Development Report,
2001).

The table below shows the physical Targets and Achievements in

the Industrial Sector during the year 2001 to 2004.

Page\149
 Table: 8

Physical Targets and Achievements 2001-2004

SLNo Subject 2001-2002 2002-2003 2003-2004

Target Achievement Target Achievement Target Achievement

1 Tea (Temi)N.P

2 Deptt of Handicrafts - - - -
&.Handloom

3 Incentives for new - - - - -

industries

4 E.D.P 10Trg 10Trg 10Trg 10Trg 65Trg 65Trg

5 In!. and Publicity - - - - -

' Training to rural artisans

''• STo
"• 'To
7 Khadi and Village - - -
industries

8 CMRY 2001 Nos 2011 Nos 1286 Nos 1286 Nos

9 Sorajg~ YodLg Yq'na 402 Nos 402 Nos 1000 Nos 1000 Nos

10 Assistant to Zilla - - - - -
Parishad

11 GFPF - - - - -

11 Tea Development - - - - -

13 Investment in PSU - - - - -

14 Incentive to SIDICO - - - - -

15 Incentive to Public - - - - - -
sector

Source: Stkktm: A Stattsttcal Profile, 2004-05

To accelerate industrial expansion and urban domestic and rural needs,

unreliable and inadequate power supply has been a major reason for
attractive private investments in Sikkikm. The government views that
the alternative power sources have to be explored and developed. The

Pagell50
 state government has given top priority to industrialisation and has
created conducive environment for investors. 45

Table: 9

Annual Credit Plan 2003-2004 (Industrial sector)

Name of the bank Target Achievement % Achievement

No. Amt. No. Amt. No. Amt.

State Bank of India 258 29641 3 3324 1.2 11.2

Central Bank of 91 13563 2 203 2.2 1.5

India

u.c.o Bank 19 1934 0 0 0.0 0.0

Canara Bank 5 1679 3 390 60.0 23.2

Vijaya Bank 5 1021 1 57 20.0 5.6

Bank of Baroda 7 1107 0 0 0.0 0.0

Bank of India 8 1345 0 0 0.0 0.0

Union Bank of India 32 4491 4 1150 12.5 25.6

Punjab National Bank 9 1621 0 0 0.0 0.0

of India

S.LS.C.O Bank Ltd. 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0

U.T.I Bank Ltd. 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0

Total 434 56402 13 5124 3.0 9.1

.
Source: Stkktm: A StattstJcal Proftle, 2004-2005, p.46

45
Sikkim was given Best State Award among the 10 smaller states for most
favourable investment climate by India Today media group in 2005.

Page I 151
Tourism

Under the Sikkim Democratic Front rule for the first time in Sikkim a
fifteen year Master Plan perspective on tourism was prepared in 1997.
The plan covered a period from 1997-1998 to 2011-2012. The plan
emphasized on the development of three independent tourist
destinations within the state to speed up economic growth in the rural
areas. The plan focused mainly on eco- tourism based on natural scenic
resources. This would probably bring development in the rural sector.
For implementing the tourism policy in the state a draft tourism
legislation was prepared by the department to promote tourism. Taking
the advantage of natural scenic resources which promotes tourism,
quality tourism must be maintained. For this there was a need for further
permit relaxation from the Government of India. The proposal by the
state government was made at New Delhi on the 30th September, 1997.
Proper management of hotels, lodges and trekkers' hut was under the
department of tourism. But the department could not take up too much
burden of management hence the responsibility was given to the
Tourism Development Corporation {Govt. of Sikkim, Information and
Public Relations, 2010). Construction works have been taken up under
the CSS schemes. Tourist Lodges at Singhik, Wayside amenity at
Borong Hog Spring, Wayside amenity at Gangyap Hot Spring, Trekkers'
hut at Aritar are some of the constructions undertaken for facilitating
tourism.

With all these efforts by the government under the Sikkim

Democratic Front, tourism has been developed leading to increased
tourist arrivals by over 60 percent as against 1994 arrivals. In the period
between1994-2000, the annual growth of tourism has increased to 10
percent.

Pagel152
 Table: 10

Increase in Tourist Arrivals

Year Domestic Foreign Total

1981 19,115 2,739 21,854

1991 61,360 6,187 67,547

1994 92,435 6,888 99,323

1997 11/6,500 8,068 12,4,568

2001 14,6,923 7,757 15,4,680

Source:
.
Government of S1kk1m, Department of Tounsm, Gangtok

The SDF government dreams of making Sikkim the "Number One Eco-
tourism Destination in India". With this objective, the government makes
efforts to develop tourist villages, trekking routes, adventure activities,
bio- diversity parks, hotels and cultural centers. To attract more tourists
in the state, the government has been able to lay the foundation of
airport at Pakyong East Sikkim. This would give a regular connection
between Bagdogra and other neighbouring airports. Helicopter flights
are on operation for tourists. To avail more tourism, a rope-way at
Gangtok linking Deorali with the Tashiling Secretariat has been
constructed. Promoting pilgrim tourism, old temples, monastries,
churches, gurudwaras and mosques and other shrines in Sikkim have
been maintained. The state government has proposed to maintain at
least one tourist center in each Gram Panchayat Unit in the state. The
government proposes for the establishment of Himalayan Center for
Adventure Tourism at Chemchey village by investing Rs 50 lakhs. A new
adventure tourist complex- The Rangit Water World (RWW) at the NHPC
Dam at Legship has been started for the first time.

Many development activities in tourism have been taking place as

per the Master Plan for tourism adopted by the party (SDF). 46 Sikkim,

46
In the year 2000, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, awarded the
National Award for the best Tourism performing state in the North East.

Pagel153
for the second consecutive year took the title in 2001 also as Tourism in
Sikkim is developed with a vision of peace and tranquility. The local
people too appreciated the importance of tourism and development
made by the government in this sector. Programme's were being
organized to put tourism as an industry with an objective of providing
employment opportunities to the people. In this respect, the government
celebrated World Tourism Day on 27th September 2001 to create
awareness about tourism in the state. 47 In August 2000, Tourism and
Travel Fair (TTF) was held at Calcutta in which the Department of
Tourism from Sikkim participated. Festival on North- East was held at
Silliguri, Kanchen Dzonga stadium from 1st December to 7th December,
2000, the main objective of the Fair was to focus tourism as an industry
and create awareness in the North- Eastern states, West Bengal, Bihar
and Orissa. Teesta- Tea Tourism Festival was held in srkkim from 24th
December to 10th January 2001. The main objective of the festival was to
create awareness of winter attractions to Sikkim both at the national and
international level and also to increase the number of tourists during the
winter season. For this street carnival, religion _festivals and archery
·~~

competition were the main attractions. Water Sports in Teesta and

Rang it at national level was also held.

The Tourism Department of Sikkim participated in the Tourism and

Travel Fair at Mumbai in January 2001. It also participated at London in
November 2000. For the promotion of tourism in the state the
Government held orientation programmes for transport operators, taxi
drivers, hoteilers and tour operators and travel agents association of
Sikkim at Gangtok on 18 - 20 August, 2000. The programme was
organized to motivate them as these people have a key role in
promoting the tourism industry. Following this programme, the same
programme was organized for the same kind of people of South and
West Sikkim on ath and gth February, 2001 at Pemayangtse in west
Sikkim. Sikkim is also known as adventure destination. Adventurous

47
The World Tourism Day was sponsored by STDC for the disadvantaged
children.

Pagej154
activities like White Water Rafting at river Teesta from Bardang to
Tarkhola and river Rangit were conducted. During the year 2000-2001,
many projects were completed to encourage tourism. Statue of Guru
Padma Sambhava at Samdruptse, Namchi has been constructed.
Artificial lake at Uttarey as a new tourist destination in West district has
been created. In 1998-1999, a Tourist Information Center, at Namchi
was established to facilitate the tourists with tourism information. The
Department of Tourism under the SDF rule initiated several schemes and
projects like Dugling, Computerization, Wayside Amenity, Refurbishment
of Monastries, Tourist lodge, Lake Development, Development of
waterfalls, Trekking route, improvement of old heritage Bungalows,
Tourist toilets etc.

The opening of the Nathula route in 1999 has benefited the tourist
to visit Nathula as one of the tourist destinations. The issuing of permits
to the tourists has been simplified. Package tours are being arranged
generating opportunities for income and employment (Govt. of Sikkim,
Information and Public Relations, 2001). As a result of these policies of
the SDF Government, the Tourism Department as claimed by the
government is making profit which was incurring terrible losses earlier.

Service Sector: Communication

One of the major factors for the overall development of a state is a good
transport communication network through which trade will flourish and
will bring economic development in the state. Thus, the total
communication service depends upon road network. The government has
some objectives in this sector and these are as follows; (a) to upgrade
the non standard roads constructed prior to 1975, (b) up gradation of
existing bridges to allow the loaded trucks to pass through it. The
government also aims at constructing new roads covering as many as
villages as possible. Following its objectives the government had been
able to connect 360 villages out of 453 in the state by March, 1997
(Government of Sikkim, Information and Public Relations, 1997, p.SS).

Page\155
 To promote development in this particular area programmes and
new schemes have been undertaken by the Government. The narrow
and steep roads were to be widened so that a higher load vehicle gets
access to it. The Government's objective in this sector included the
strengthening of old suspension bridges by new street and cemented
bridges. The government under its new scheme replaced the old and
weak roads and bridges in the state. We can point out here that the new
government under the SDF has brought some development within a
short period of time. The developmental works of the government
included the construction of 29 Kms new roads in 1994-1995, 72 Kms
road in 1995-1996 and 60 Kms road in 1996-1997. In 1997-1998, the
government constructed a total of 161 Kms new roads connecting
different villages in the state. The government targeted of covering 248
Kms new road by the year 2001. In 2001, 127 kilometres of road
carpeting was completed.

Sikkim is a state; a land locked Himalayan State with no air, train,

and water transport facility and hence it has to depend totally on road
transportation. Knowing the fact that communication and transport have
a vital role in the life of people and their development, communication
has a direct impact towards economic growth and social upliftment, the
government under the SDF sees that there is a continuous, regular
services maintained in the state. The government gives the responsibility
to Sikkim Nationalised Transport for providing better transportation
facilities to the public as well as transportation of material goods mainly
from Siliguri. Till 2001, the number of buses has increased to 123 and
134 trucks/ tankers. A computerized rail reservation service at Gangtok
for the whole country has started since, 1997. The government takes
the initiative of having reservation quota of Sikkim in the North-East
Frontier Railways to three fold in the near future. In 2000-2001, the
government promised to add seasonal busses to provide transport
facilities to tourists during tourist seasons in Sikkim. The seasonal busses
were provided to tourist places like Pelling, Yoksum, Gangtok and
Tshongmo. The government also provided with additional interstate bus

Pagel156
services from Gangtok to Siliguri, Darjeeling and Kalimpong with
additional schedule during tourist seasons. In addition to this, Sikkim
Nationalised Transport shall provide city busses for providing economical
transportation system at Gangtok.

Road transportation, being only the means of transportation the

government undertakes the construction of helipads at remote areas of
Sikkim. This helps during the time of emergencies when there are
natural calamities, epidemics road blocks etc. This will also help to
promote tourism in the state. The helipads at Lachung, Dalapchen,
Rabongla, Dodak, Yoksum, Pelling are same which have been
constructed in 2001.

Environment

"We will safeguard our environment as in this lies the very essence of
our survival and our future." This was the promise made by Pawan
Cham ling, the party President of the SDF after assuming power in 1994
(Government of Sikkim, Information and Public Relations, 2001, p. XV).
As per the survey in 1998, forests area constituted 44.9 percent of the
total area of Sikkim, as compared to 19.4 percent for the country as a
whole. Forests are an important source of livelihood for the Sikkimese
people and important source of revenue to the government. It covers an
area of 978 sq. km of dense forest, 75 sq. km of degraded or blank
forest area and area and 31 sq. km of Alpine/ Pasture/ Scrub barren and
snow land. Forests are an important source of revenue for the
Government because of the implementation of strict forest laws. The
forest department has fixed the rates of royalty of different forest
produce depending on the importance of the produce and its market
value. 48 Thus, the SDF government has become conscious of protecting
the nature of Sikkim's environment and eco-systems.

The SDF Government has taken recent measures to conserve forest

and environment which includes:

48
The medicinal plants and herbs lime Ipecac, Ranwoulfia Serpentine and
Lycopodium has been a source of revenue to the government.

Page 1157
 • It has adopted and enforced forest environment and wild life
policy in 1999. It was a step towards the protection of its
environment and consumes forest and wild life. Among the Indian
states Sikkim has become the first state in the country to adopt
such a policy.
• The Chief Minister's concept of "Smriti Vans" has become a real
concept after the introduction of "Smriti Vans.',.;9
• Another measure adopted by the government is ban on grazing by
all domestic animals in reserve forest areas in the state to protect
plantations.
• It has banned the use of non-biodegradable products like plastic
bags to protect environment. Following this measure, Sikkim
becomes the first state in the country to effectively implement this
ban. The government has further decided to adopt "Green Road"
scheme by undertaking extensive plantation on the road sides
within five years period from 1999.
• It has taken measures for the protection of cultural ecology of the
Mount Kanchenjunga by banning climbing expeditions.
Further the SDF government declared to make Sikkim a "Total Organic
State". With his efforts in preserving the environment, Chief Minister
Pawan Chamling has been awarded the "Greenest Chief Minister of India"
by the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi in 1999.

With these schemes, programmes and policies adopted by the SDF

Government since 1994 in various fields of economy like, agriculture,
horticulture, industries, tourism, communication and transport services
and forests and environment the Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) and
per capita income has recorded a steady growth. The NSDP has
increased from Rs 426 crores in 1995-1996 to Rs 891 crores in 2001-

49
Memorial Forest at various places of social religious, educational institutions,
defense, police, tourism, NGO's and government agencies who have come
forward with plantations in memory of their near and dear ones.

Pagel158
 2002. The per capita income has increased from Rs 8,905 to Rs 16,143
during the same period (Government of India, Economic Survey 2003-
2004, Ministry of Finance, New Delhi).

Policies of Social Welfare

The SDF Government from the very beginning has a dream and purpose
in investing in human resource development to make Sikkim a poverty
free-state. 50 In Sikkim the weaker sections mainly comprises of
scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. Most of
these people depend mainly on agriculture as their source of income.
According to the Planning Commission based on the expert Group
Recommendations in 1993-1994, 45.01 percent of the rural population in
the state lived below the poverty line, while in urban areas only 7.73
percent of the population lived below the poverty line.

The Government of Sikkim, the Department of Rural Development,

based on the ministry of Rural Development, Government of India,
estimated the percentage of families below the poverty fine. The State
Bureau of Economics and Statistics estimated that 71 percent of the total
families were still below poverty line in 1995 (Government of Sikkim,
Sikkim Human Development Report, 2001).

50
Prior to the merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union, its political and economic
conditions did not allow it to develop. Only after 1975 growth, development and
self- reliance have been achieved.

Pagel159
 Table: 11

State wise (North East States) Poverty rank (1983-1994)

States 1983- 1984 1987- 1988 1993- 1994

Per Poverty Per Poverty Per Poverty

Capita Rank Capita Rank Capita Rank
Rank Rank Rank
Arunachal 6 8 8 8 7 7
Pradesh

Assam 19 9 19 9 19 5

Himachal 8 25 15 23 14 15
Pradesh

Manipur 16 16 12 17 18 13

Meghalaya 18 14 16 14 17 9

Mizoram 22 17 6 18 11 17

Nagaland 9 13 10 13 9 9

Sikkim 12 12 7 10 10 4

Tripura 24 11 22 11 24 8

SourSource: Government of Sikkim, Human Development Report, 2001

For alleviating poverty in Sikkim, the state Government under the

SDF has taken up the task of carrying poverty survey in the state and
checking the per capita income growth rate and distribution of income.
Sikkim ranks 12th in the country in terms of per capita which is an
indication that poverty rate is high in the state. The table cited above
shows the ranking of the Hill States (out of 25 states) in the terms of per
capita net state, Domestic Product and poverty.

For the socio-economic development and alleviation of poverty in

the state, the Government has been providing grants of Rs 20,000 to the

Pagel160
homeless people in the state assisting them to construct houses under
rural housing schemes since 1995-1996 (Govt. of Sikkim, IPR, 1997,
p.24). In addition to this, the scheme of Indira Awas Yojna providing
shelter to the homeless rural people who are below poverty line is being
implemented. Till 2003, under the Indira Awas Yojna scheme, 758
physical achievements have been reached and 417 up-gradation
(Sikkim- A Statistical Profile, 2004-2005, p.145).

The following table shows the year wise physical achievements of the
scheme- Indira A was Yojna.

Table: 12
Indira Awas vo·na Physical Achievements 2001-2003)
Name of the Year Physical Financial (Rs.
scheme Achievements in Lakhs)

Indira Awas 2000-01 872 206

Yojna

Indira Awas 2001-02 762 167

Yojna

Indira Awas 2002-03 758 117.37

Yojna

Up-gradation 2000-01 667 66.7

Up-gradation 2001-02 404 40.44

Up-gradation 2002-03 417 37.8

Source. S1kk1m- A Stat1st1cal Profile, 2004-2005, p.145

Identification of the households below poverty line and assisting them

with the distribution of piglets with pig feed, milch cow, black-smithy
tools and accessories, sewing machines, ginger seeds, potato seeds and
fruit seedlings. The government provided the people with the advance
course in computer science, hotel management, typing and stenography.
The government has provided pre-matric and post- matric scholarships
for children of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe's living below
poverty line (Govt. of Sikkim, Social Welfare Department, 2004-2005).

Page 1161
 Table: 13

Pre-Matric scholarships to STand SC students (1997-1998 to 2001-

2002)

Year Scheduled Tribe Scheduled Caste

1997-1998 3569 2758

1998-1999 3569 598

1999-2000 568 1645

2000-2001 2385 1614

2001-2002 4132 1974

Source:
.
Soc1al Welfare Department, Govt. of S1kk1m, 2004-2005

Table: 14

Post-Matric scholarships to STand SC students (1997-1998 to 2001-

2002)
Year Scheduled Tribe Scheduled Caste

1997-1998 216 113

1998-1999 260 72

1999-2000 132 96

2000-2001 142 98

2001-2002 493 101

.
Source. Soc1al Welfare Department, Govt. Of Sikklm, 2004-2005

The percentage of population below poverty line has gone down steadily
after the SDF came to power in 1994. The following table shows the
decrease of BPL percentage in the state since 1973-74.

Pagel162
 Table: 15

Population Below Poverty Line

Year Percentage of BPL

1973-74 50.86

1977-78 55.89

1983 39.71

1987-88 36.06

1993-94 41.43

1999-2000 36.55
.
SOURCE: Planning CommiSSion, Draft Tenth F1ve Year Plan,(2002-2007),
New Delhi, Vol III, 2003, p.40.

In Sikkim two Assembly constituencies has been declared as Scheduled

Caste constituencies based on the Scheduled Caste population. These
constituencies are Khamdong and Rateypani. This is done mainly for
development and upliftment of scheduled castes in the state. The
government under the Welfare Department and Social Welfare Wing
implemented policies and programmes for the upliftment of the poor and
needy handicapped persons and old aged people.

Table: 16

Schemes (Scheduled Caste) implemented under SCP 1999-2000

Department/ sector Schemes implemented No. of Beneficiaries

SIMFED Distribution of 75 families

Blacksmithy tools to SC

STCS Distribution of sewing 40 families

machines to SC

Welfare department Distribution of piglets to 63 families

SC of Mangshila

Welfare department Distribution of piglets to 220 families

SC of Khamdong

Pagel163
 Welfare department Distribution of piglets to 46 families
SC of Ralong, Sangmo
Gram Panchayat

Welfare department Distribution of piglets to 30 families

SC of Nandok
Source: Source: SoCial Welfare Department, Govt. Of S1kk1m, 2004-2005

Table: 17

Schemes (Scheduled Caste) implemented under SCP 1999-2000

Department/ Schemes implemented No. Of Beneficiaries

sector

SJMFED/STCS Distribution of sewing 287 families

machines to SC of east
and south sikkim

SIMFED/STCS Distribution of knitting 153 families

machines to SC of east,
west and south district

SIMFED/STCS Distribution of 110 sets of 183 families

agricultural tools to SC
families of Khamdong
constituency

SJMFED/STCS Distribution of 200 sets of 243 families

agricultural tools to SC
families of Rateypani
constituency

SJMFED/STCS Distribution of 100 sets of 153 families

agricultural tools to SC
families of south and west
district

SIMFED/STCS Distribution of 100 sets of 146 families

agricultural tools to SC
families of east district
Source. Soc1al Welfare Department, Govt. of S1kk1m, 2004 -2005

In the year 1997, the Government of India launched a scheme for

providing financial assistance to the families living below the poverty line
to whom girl child is born, the scheme is known as Balika Sam rid hi Yojna

Pagel164
which covers a child born on or before 15.8.1997. The government of
Sikkim implemented the same scheme in the state for the upliftment and
empowerment of women. The state government also launched a small
family scheme in April 1997 for a girl child under which all girl child gets
economic incentives and at the age of 13 years gets the financial benefit
of Rs 25,00/ which is deposited in the bank for a fixed period of eight
years. This is done to encourage girl child to get married at the age of 21
years or after and not before that (Govt. of Sikkim, Social Welfare
Department, 2004-2005).

Following the poverty alleviation programmes, the SDF Government

directed the welfare division of Social Welfare Department with the
schemes of vocational training for the educated unemployed scheduled
castes and scheduled tribes from 1995-1996 and other backward classes
youths from 1998-1999. The state government made an arrangement
from 1.7.1995 for reservation of seats for scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes and OBC's in government posts and services. Allotment of seats in
educational institutions for professional courses was 6 percent to
scheduled castes, 23 percent to scheduled tribes and 21 percent to other
backward classes.

Under the direction of the Central Government, the Government of

Sikkim has set up Sikkim Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other
Backward Classes Development Cooperation Ltd. for providing cheap
financial assistance to all the backward sections of Scheduled Castes,
Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes population of the state at
low rate of interest. The cooperation has financed activities in agriculture
for the purchase of agricultural machinery and implements goatary,
poultry, dairy, piggery, cardamom plantation and ginger cultivation. It
has provided assistance to the artisans and traditional occupation such
handicrafts, carpet weaving, tailoring etc. (Govt of Sikkim, Sikkim: A
Statistical Profile, 2004-2005).

Welfare schemes for the old persons includes old age pension
scheme who are 65 years and above and who fall in the below poverty

Page\165
line and have no regular service of income gets the amount of Old Age
Pension of Rs 100 per month. It was increased to Rs 200 in October,
2000 and from April, 2007 the old age pension has been increased to Rs
400 per month (Government of Sikkim, Social Welfare Department,
2008).

Table: 18

Table showing the number of persons receiving pensions year wise

YEAR No. of BENEFICIARIES

1995-1996 1,976

1996-1997 1,613

1997-1998 3,855

1998-1999 6,835

1999-2000 6,835

2000-2001 10,104
. .
Source: Department of Information and Publ1c Relations, Government of
Sikkim, 2001.

For the disabled poor persons, the Government has allotted subsistence
allowance of Rs 100 per month. The allowance benefited many poor
people in the state and there was an increase in the number of
beneficiaries each year. In 1995-97 the beneficiaries were 150 persons;
it was increased to 200 persons in 1997-1999 and then increased to 400
persons in 1999-2001 (Govt. of Sikkim, Social Welfare Department,
2002).

The welfare department runs a sheltered workshop for disabled

poor persons at Jorethang, South Sikkim where 15 disabled persons are
engaged receiving monthly stipend of Rs 1200/-, Rs 600/-, and Rs 400/-
as per their skills.

The state government under the SDF has made arrangements for
providing financial assistance to voluntary organizations like National
Association for Blind, Spastic Society in Gangtok and Association for

Page)166
social health in India, Sikkim Branch etc. to undertake welfare works for
the under privileged sections of the society. The government is providing
its full effort in the upliftment of the weaker sections of society to make
Sikkim a poverty free state. In the election manifesto of 2004, the party
declared that it has a vision of making Sikkim a Poverty Free State by
2015. 51 In the achievement of this target, the government has made
arrangements for providing 35 kg of subsidized rice at Rs 4 per kg per
month to a family living Below Poverty Line (BPL). Till 2003, September,
9,994 poorest of the poor families from BPL category are getting benefits
of Mukhya Mantri Antyodaya Annadan Yojna scheme. Under this the
senior citizens above the age of 65 years who are eligible for old age
pensions get rice at Rs 3 per kg. (Govt of Sikkim, Sikkim: A Statistical
Profile, 2004-2005).

The following table shows the State's economy at a glance under

SDF government.

Table: 19

INDICATORS OF STATE ECONOMY AT A GLANCE

Sl

"'1
Particulars

Gross State
199~
94
(lo
1996-
97
1997·
98
1998-99 1999·
2000
2000·
01 ,.
2001· 2002·
03~ ..
2003·
~

Domestic lakhs)
Product
At current 37743 55262 65106 78184 84003 97634 113925 125135 135818
I Mces
AI constant 37743 45630 52002 57983 59583 64213 69635 . .
I _prices
1 lndeK . .
Number of
GSDP
At current 100.00 146.42 172.50 207.154 222.57 258.68 301.84 331.54 359.85
I prices
At constant 100.00 120.90 137.78 153.63 157.87 170.13 184.50 . .
I Prices
3 Per Capita~
GSDP In Rs
At current 8457 11141 12644 14652 16343 18352 20639 22466 23786
I prices
At constant 8457 9200 10099 10866 11592 12070 12615 . .
orices
4 Index
Number of
Per Ca Ita

51 As per the Socia- economic census of the state conducted in 2005 the poverty ratio has gone
down to 19.2 percent in 2005.

Pagell67
 GSDP
At current 100.00 131.74 149.51 173.25 193.25 217.00 244.05 265.65 281.26
prices
At constant 100.00 108.79 119.42 128.49 137.07 142.72 149.17 -
orices
5 Net State {lo
Domestic lakhs)
Product
At current 33694 49111 58308 70209 75818 88623 103899 113942 123258
prices
At constant 33694 40851 46984 51575 52683 56941 62002 - -
orices
6 Index
Number of
NSDP
At current 100.00 145.76 173.05 208.37 225.02 263.02 308.36 338.17 365.82
orices
At constant 100.00 121.24 139.44 153.07 156.36 168.99 184.01 - -
prices
7 Per Capita (In
Rs)
At current 7550 9901 11324 13158 14751 16658 18822 20456 21586
I Prices
At constant 7550 8236 9125 9666 10250 10703 11232 -
I prices
8 Index
Number of
Per Capita
NSDP
At current 100.00 131.14 149.99 174.28 195.38 220.64 249.30 270.94 285.91
I prices
At constant 100.00 109.09 120.86 128.02 135.76 141.76 148.77 - -
prices

Source: Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation,

Gangtok, Sikkim, 2004-2005.

To sum up, the chapter analysed the economic policies pursued by the
SDF led government in the state. The economic policies analysed
included the policies in the agricultural sector, industrial sector and the
service sector. The main focus of the government in the agricultural
sector is the improvement of agricultural productivity by implementing
various measures and schemes. The government provided the poor
farmers with incentives like better variety of seeds, manures, fertilizers
and other facilities like agricultural loans, scientific and modern tools and
equipments. These incentives helped the farmers in the better
production of agricultural products.

The government came up with new industrial policies to

accelerate the industrial sector and promote economic growth in the
state. It pointed out the reasons for the poor industrial growth in the

Pagel168
state. An agro-based industry in all the villages' was to be set up by the
government in the near future which would generate employment
facilities to the rural people? Under the new industrial policies the old
and sick industries were to be revived and small scale and dairy farming
was to be promoted. The policy attracted both the internal and external
investors in the state. Many small scale industries got permanent
registration and loans from both state and nationalized banks were
provided for this purpose.

For the promotion of tourism in the state, the government

prepared a fifteen year Master Plan in 1997. The plan focused on eco-
tourism based on natural scenic resources. Promotion of tourism in the
state was followed by transport and communication network. New roads
were constructed connecting villages with the towns. For poverty
alleviation in the state the government under the SDF implemented
various schemes like Indira Awas Yojna- centrally sponsored schemes,
distribution of agricultural tools, and other necessary items to the poor
people. The government under the SDF implemented various measures
and schemes in developing the state and making the people of Sikkim
the real producers in the state.

Pagej169
 CHAPTER IV
DEMOCRACY IN SIKKIM UNDER SDF
REGIME

Traditionally Democracy means people's rule. The origin of the

term democracy can be traced back to Ancient Greece. Democracy
is derived from the Greek word 'kratos', meaning power or rule.
Democracy thus means 'rule by the demos', the demos referring to
the 'people'. In modern times democracy is treated as a single,
unambiguous phenomenon. It is assumed as a system of regular
and competitive elections based on universal franchise. 52 Most
conception of democracy is based on the principle of 'government
by the people'. This means people govern themselves-that they
participate in the making of the crucial decisions that structure
their lives and determine the fate of their society. The word
Democracy is understood differently by different people. Amongst
the meanings that have been attached to the word 'democracy'
these are as follows:

• A system of rule by the poor and disadvantaged.

• A form of government in which the people rule themselves
directly and continuously, without the need of the
professional politicians or public officials.
• A system of welfare and redistribution aimed at narrowing
social inequalities.
• A society based on equal opportunity and individual merit,
rather than hierarchy and privilege.

52
In Bernard Crick's (1993) words 'democracy is the most promiscuous word in
the world of public affairs'.

Page )170
 • A system of decision- making based on the principle of
majority rule.
• A system of rule that secures the rights and interests of
minorities by placing checks upon the power of the majority.
• A means of filling public offices through a competitive
struggle for the popular vote.
• A system of government that serves the interests of the
53
people regardless of their participation in political life.

Therefore it is clear that democracy links government to the

people (Heyhood, 2007, p. 71).

The party President, Pawan Chamling had claimed that real

democracy in Sikkim was restored by the Sikkim Democratic Front.
The chapter basically deals with the question that "how far the
Sikkim Democratic Front government has been successful in
restoring real democracy in Sikkim?" The party stands for "Janta
Ko Raj Ma Jantai Raja"- (In a popular regime, people themselves
are sovereign)". The chapter basically analyses the status of
democracy in the state under the Sikkim Democratic Front
government. We analyse the status of democracy because the SDF
as it claims arouse against the undemocratic practices of the SSP
led government. One of the principal aims of the SDF in 1994 was
to restore democracy if it comes to power in the state. Restoration
of democracy had therefore been an important aim and slogan of
the party, which helped the party to achieve initial success in the
state, thus it helped the party to mobilise support for itself. Hence
we look at this aspect of SDF rule to see how far this had
contributed to the building of support for the party.

53
The starting point of the nature of democracy was given by the American first
President Abraham Lincoln in Gettysburg Address delivered in 1864 at the
height of American Civil War. He called 'democracy' a "government of the
people, by the people, and for the people".

Pagel171
 The chapter is divided into four sections; Section I deals with
the restoration of democracy in Sikkim under SDF. It is important
to discuss restoration of democracy here because SDF came to
power with the promise of restoring democracy in Sikkim. Section
II deals with the theme that 'Janta ko Raj rna Jantai Raja' because
the Party feels that the people of Sikkim should be the real ruler.
The third section deals with the democratic decentralisation in
Sikkim as democratic decentralisation was absent during earlier
government and it is a necessary condition for he existence of
democracy. Section IV, deals with the question of substantive
democracy. The section tries to discuss how far the SDF led
government has been successful in implementing policies in the
state and has been able to improve the living conditions of the
people.

Section I

Restoration of Democracy under SDF

Government

Democracy in Sikkim came up with different stresses, strains and

long uprising against the ruler i.e., Chogyal. 54 Different political
parties and groups emerged in Sikkim which challenged feudalism
and the monarchical rule in Sikkim. These political groups were
influenced by India's struggle for freedom movement. The
intention of these groups was the abolition of the system of
feudalism and hence monarchy and to bring democracy in Sikkim.
Political parties like Sikkim State Congress and Sikkim Janta
Congress emerged during this time. These parties also had
common demands like abolition of landlordism and establishment

54
The Namgyal dynasty in Sikkim was established in 1642 and survived till
1974.

Page 1172
of popular government. A new political party the Sikkim National
Congress in late 1960's also opposed the Chogyal rule and the
Zamindari system in Sikkim. The main objectives of the party were
the establishment of responsible government, written constitution
and universal adult franchise based on joint electorate. The party
claimed that the majority in Sikkim wanted restoration of
democracy and responsible government. Among all the political
parties in Sikkim, the Sikkim State Congress was the only party
which represented all the three ethnic groups in Sikkim.

Confrontation broke out on 4th April 1973 when hundreds of

demonstrators from all parts of Sikkim came to Gangtok against
the administration. Law and order completely broke down in
Sikkim and the situation went out of control. The Chogyal
requested the Indian Government to take the charge of law and
order. The Indian army took over the charge of law and order and
the administration was taken over by the political officer. A
tripartite agreement was signed on B'h May 1973 between the
Foreign Secretary of Chogyal, Government of India and the
representatives of the three political parties for the establishment
of responsible government in Sikkim with a democratic
constitution, fundamental rights, and rule of law, independent
judiciary and greater legislative and executive powers for the
representatives of the people. Chogyal was made the constitutional
head. On the basis of this agreement, the first general election
was held in April 1974.

There was conflict between the ministry and Chogyal and it

became difficult to continue with Chogyal as the head of the state.
So on 10th April 1975 a unanimous resolution was passed for the
abolition of the institution of the Chogyal and demanding the
merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union. Ultimately Sikkim was
merged with the Indian Union and it became the 22nd state of the

Page I 173
Indian Union on the 16'h of May 1975, bringing an end to the 333
years old Chogyal rule in Sikkim.

Although the merger of Sikkim in 1975 marked the beginning

of Parliamentary democracy in Sikkim, yet the general masses
remained isolated from the mainstream as fruits of democracy
failed to reach the grassroots who constituted the bulk of the
population.

The first Assembly election in Sikkim was held in April 1974,

two political parties; Sikkim National Party and Sikkim Congress
contested the election. The Sikkim Congress swept the poll
securing 31 seats. Lendup D. Kazi was sworn in as the first Chief
Minister of Sikkim. But soon constitutional crisis broke on 17th
August with the resignation of Kazi along with his colleagues and
this led to the failure of the constitutional machinery and
President's rule was imposed for the first time in Sikkim on August
18, 1979. Within this span of time not much democratic
developments was visible. There are several reasons behind this.
At the time of merger the state did not have a properly planned
communication network 1 it lacked comprehensive infrastructure for
light and heavy infrastructures. The geography of the state was
also· at a disadvantage for its development as it was a backward
state surrounded with mountains and inaccessible terrains.
Democracy was established as the governing machinery of the
state but it failed to reach the base of the society. Many leaders
left the Kazi Ministry and formed a new political party. Democracy
was in the initial stage and people were not much aware of the
spirit of democracy. Hence, the grassroots remained practically
isolated from the fruits of development. People saw no other
option but to fight for people's right and replace him. The party
claimed that the people were happy and satisfied with the new
government formed by Sikkim State Congress under Kazi Lhendup

Page \ 174
Dorjee, as it was the only political party which united the
Sikkimese people for the attainment of democracy in the state.
Under the guidance of the party, democracy was attained and for
the first time the people exercised their democratic rights. But
soon there was a split in the party and the government could not
continue in power for long.

After Kazi Lendup Dorji, the government was formed by Nar

Bahadur Bhandari of Sikkim Janata Parishad after he won the
Assembly election held on 12th October 1979. Since then Bhandari
ruled Sikkim till 1993. The party formulated different policies in the
political, social and economic fields. He promised to restore the
seats of Sikkimese Nepali which was removed by the 1979 Act and
1980 Representation of People's Act. The Act not only abolished
seat reserved for the Sikkimese Nepalese, it also scrapped seats
reserved for the original Bhutia and the Lepchas of the State. He
also promised to include Sikkim in the North East Council. Many
social welfare schemes were carried on by the Bhandari
government like drinking water facilities, transport and
communication maintenance. It is said that 94°/o of the villages in
the state got electric connection during his term. Importance to
health, education and agriculture were given and facilities and
incentives were provided in these fields. For the educational
development, new schools were established in different parts of
Sikkim. Many schools were upgraded, free text books were
provided for the students of the Government schools. In the field
of health, new primary health centres and sub-centres were set up
in each village and awareness camp and programmes were held on
diseases like Leprosy, tuberculosis and cancer. In the agricultural
field, the farmers were given High Yielding Variety seeds, irrigation
channels were made and training centres and farms were opened.
After coming to power in 1984, the Bhandari government provided

Page I 175
books at subsidised rates and mid-day meals were provided to
promote education and raise literacy rate in the state.

But after his victory in the 1989 Assembly Election he became

quite different than what he was earlier. Opposition political parties
were not well organised and hence not powerful; they became
prominent only during the eve of elections. The opposition political
parties in Sikkim criticised Bhandari on the grounds that he had
became more powerful, confident and authoritative in his later
phase of his rule. There was a complete suppression of the press
and the media. The opposition leaders were tortured by the police.
Bhandari used coercion and physical torture to those who opposed
him and suppressed all the anti-government movements in Sikkim.
He tried to establish hegemony of one reign, one leader, one
party, and one language in Sikkim. With this one-party, one-man
rule reign of terror began in Sikkim (Kazi, 1993). The other
political parties could not survive. The right to press was curtailed.
There was constant pressure over the press-media. This led to
absence of a strong and effective opposition, ultimately leading to
the absence of real democracy in Sikkim. During the SSP's sixth
anniversary celebrations on May 24, 1990, Bhandari claimed in his
public address at Gangtok that he had the support of every section
of people in the state, including the press. He wanted everyone
and every organisation in Sikkim including the press to
acknowledge his rule. The journalists were the victims of torture
during his government. In January, 1993, Jit Raikia, editor of a
Nepali weekly; 'Sikkim Samachar' was brutally attacked. In the
same year Frank Krishner of Sikkim Express and correspondent of
the 'Telegraph' was beaten up for releasing the anti-government
news in the state (Kazi, 1993, pp.255-257).

Sikkim Democratic Front, which was a new regional political

party, in its initial stage pledged to restore democracy in Sikkim

Page[176
and promised to strive for the democratic rights of the Sikkimese
people. In the press release to the 'Hindustan Times' on March, 7-
13, 1993, the party President, Pawan Chamling declared that the
party stands for the democratic rights of the Sikkimese people as
enshrined in the Constitution of India. Criticising the former
government of SSP led Nar Bahadur Bhandari, Pawan Chamling
pointed out that people were fed up with the politics of corruption,
confrontation and division amongst people during the earlier
Bhandari government. He further, urged to unite the people and
revive democracy in the State. Thus the SDF was avowedly formed
with the aim and objective of restoring real democracy in Sikkim.

The party was formed when Pawan Chamling left the Bhandari
government. As such Pawan Chamling was against the Bhandari
since he was not implementing the recommendation of the Mandai
Commission Report. The Commission had listed all the
communities of Sikkim as economically and educationally
backward. The Chief Minister, Nar Bahadur Bhandari who belonged
to the Chettri caste then did not responded positively to the
demands of OBC's. The SDF thus criticised the ruling government
under Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) and held that the
government had failed to safeguard the democratic rights of the
Sikkimese people.

In its election manifesto of 1994 for the Assembly election,

the party promised to safeguard Sikkimese rule, traditions and
Rule of Law. Real democracy will be restored with freedom of
speech and freedom of Press. The party promised to grant freedom
of Press and check yellow press in the state. It further assured
that there will be strict maintenance of law and order and
restoration of peace and security in the state. The SDF

Page I 177
 government also promised to provide social justice for all the
sections of the society. 55

Pawan Chamling speaking to the reporters of Sikkim observer,

on the 12th of December 1994 informed in his first press
conference that the SDF party manifesto has now become a
"Statement of Policy and Pledges" of the new government. He
declared that "My government's first priority is the restoration of
democracy in the State". In its first election manifesto, 1994, it
had promised to grant the rights of the backward classes by
implementing the recommendation of the Mandai Commission
Report if it wins the election. This will give justice to the people.
After forming the government, as promised earlier, the party
recommended the Union Government for the inclusion of seven
Communities from among the "Sikkimese Nepali Origin" as
socially and educationally Backward Classes. These communities
were; Bhujel, Gurung, Limbu 1 Mangar1 Rai, Sunwar and Tamang
(Sinha, 2008, p. 283).

Earlier the opposition political parties and other political

groups, mainly the Joint Action Committee formed in 1993 had
criticised Nar Bahadur Bhandari's rule in Sikkim as "Divide and
Rule" policy which exploited the relation between the centre and
the state. Under the Bhandari government it was charged that the
democratic set up in Sikkim deteriorated. Pawan Chamling always
moved with the policies and programmes that focused on the
upliftment of the poor people. He was not comfortable with some
of his colleagues who had no feeling towards backward classes and
weaker sections of the society which left him sick and disgusted.

55
The General Assembly election of 1994 was won by SDF with 19 seats out of a
total 32 seats. Pawan Cham ling, the party president was sworn in as the next
Chief Minister of Sikkim.

Pagej178
The business of the government turned from bad to worse as time
passed. Differences arouse between Chamling and the leadership
of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP). The difference was on the
issue of principles and ideology (Bali, 2002, p. 10~. In 1993,
before coming to power, Pawan Chamling criticised the faults and
failures of the ruling government at different public meetings held
at different places of Sikkim. He also got the support from his
ministerial colleagues and MLA's in the party and declared
Bhandari an autocratic master who was anti-people and
undemocratic. The ruling party he claimed was a party with double
standards and policies. He charged that the government had no
concern and was insincere in its attitude to the welfare of the
masses (Kazi, 1993).

Thus, on March 4th 1993, the SDF was born with clear and
open commitment to uphold democracy, justice and development
aspirations of the people. The party President Pawan Chamling
stated and promised to change the social and political life of
Sikkim and fight against the anti-people policies pursued by the
Bhandari government. The party also promised for more
decentralisation of power to make people stronger and practice
democratic rights in real sense.

The press and media during the earlier government had lost
its freedom of expression and speech. The party promised to
maintain free and fair media in the state. During the earlier
government the political rights of the people were non-existent;
the opposition parties were prohibited from assembling for any
purpose. The people could not reach the government and present
their grievances. Therefore, the party resolved to safeguard the
democratic rights of the people. The party sought to restore the
constitutional rights of the press which was curtailed by the earlier
government. Another instance where the Bhandari government

Page 1179
turned to be irresponsible towards its people was that on
September, 29, 1993 Bhandari sent a letter to then Finance
Minister of India, Man Mohan Singh for the imposition of central
income tax rule in Sikkim. After the establishment of democracy
in Sikkim in 1975, the state was kept outside the purview of the
central income tax. There was opposition against this anti-people
act of inviting income tax in the state. Responding to this the
people of Sikkim called a three-day Sikkim Bandh (Bali, 2002, p.
133).

The Information and Public Relations Department plays a vital

role in keeping the general public informed with the day to day
events and activities of the state government. An environment
has been created where the press can enjoy the freedom of speech
and expression. Press Accreditation Committee has been
constituted in 2001 to facilitate correspondents and editors of
qualified registered newspapers and agencies. Under Media
Initiative Programme, the IPR department provided computers,
printers and fax machines to more than 60 local journalists to help
them build their infrastructural development. For the protection of
the rights of the journalists 'Press Club of Sikkim' was established
in the year 2001. Annual grant of Rs 1.5 lakh is also provided by
the government to the Press Club of Sikkim. In order to encourage
educated unemployed youth, the department has organised a
number of training programmes especially in the field of
photography, videography and journalism. As a token of
appreciation of the contribution made by the media personnel, the
government instituted the Positive Journalism grant of Rs 5000/-
in the year 2005-2006. The national Press Day is observed on 16'"
November every year in Sikkim. The journalists were also sent for
orientation tour for interaction with their counterparts in India and
abroad (Govt. of Sikkim, Department of Information and Public

Pagel180
 Relations, 2005). The SDF criticises the earlier government for its
failure and misgovernment and for curtailing freedom of press and
media in the state. But it will be worth to point out here that the
SDF government which once assured the people to grant freedom
of the press and media is keeping away from its promise. The
government gives various facilities and help in the development
and promote free and fair press media in the state but in reality it
is indirectly trying to curtail the right of press to function openly
and freely.

Democracy seems to be at work in Sikkim. Free and fair

elections are held at all levels of government and people take
active part in electing their representatives. To ensure justice in
the state and make justice readily available for the masses, Lok
Adalats have been constituted in all the nine sub-divisions of
Sikkim. In addition, Atrocity Court, Human Rights Court, Family
Court and Consumer's Court have been constituted to ensure free
and prompt justice to the people.

SDF claims that it is a party of the people and for the people.
SDF government is the government where people are the rulers
and there is maximum participation of the people in political
activities. Democracy in the state brings social justice and
communal harmony. The state government under SDF promise to
maintain social justice from the grassroots level. It initiated steps
to bring social justice. 56 Sikkim Commission for Backward Classes
was reconstructed in 1998 to examine the request for the inclusion
of any class of citizen as a Backward Class in the Scheduled and
address complaints of wrong inclusion or non-inclusion of any
backward class in the list. The communities which the earlier
government failed to recognise as OBC- Bhujel, Gurung, Limboo,

56
The communities like Limboo and Tamang are included in the list of Scheduled
Tribes in 2003.

Pagel181
Manger, Rai, Sunwar and Tamang were included in the OBC
category on 25th May 1995. On December 6th. 1999, Sanyasis and
Thamis were also given OBC status. Similar status was given to
Chettri, Bahun and Newar communities on 17th September 2003
(Govt. of Sikkim, IPR- 2009, p. 60).

However, the Electors Data Summary of the Assembly

Elections of 1994, 1999 and 2004 shows that participation of the
people in election, i.e. vote cast by voters 1 is decreasing. In 1994
out of total 2,17 1 743 voters 1 the vote cast was only 1,78,023,
which means 39 1 720 voters did not cast their vote. Similarly, in
1999, the total number of voters were 2,55,377 out of which only
2,08,983 voted, i.e., 46,394 did not vote and subsequently in
2004 1 out of 2 1 81,937 voters only 2,48 1 959 voted and remaining
32,978 did not vote (Election Commission, Statistical Report,
State Election, 1994, 1999, 2004).

This electoral participation however is more as compared to

the earlier government. During Bhandari led period in 1979 total
voters were 1,17,157 out of which only 76,299 cast their vote and
the remaining 40,858 did not. In 1985, total voters were
1,55,041, out of which 99,435 cast their vote while remaining
55,606 did not. This shows that the electoral participation
increased with the coming of the new government. The table
below shows the electoral data summary.

Pagel182
 Table: 1

ELECTORS DATA SUMMARY LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS

IN SIKKIM

TOTAL ELECTORS ELECTORS WHO VOTED

YEAR Women
Men Women Total Men Total
1 GEN 39,999 29,493 69,492 26,107 19,801 45,908
9
7 sc 4,047 3,357 7,431 2,923 2,391 5,314
9
ST 21,849 18,394 40234 13,596 11,481 25,077
TOTAL 1,17,157 76,299
1 GEN 53,022 44,784 97,806 34,791 26,749 61,540
9
8 sc 5,867 4,907 10,774 4,162 3,001 7,163
5
ST 24,917 21,544 46,461 17,559 13,173 30,372
TOTAL 1,55,041 99,435
1 GEN 99,370 85,027 1,78,697 71,131 58,249 1,29,380
9
8 sc 7,272 6,650 13,922 5,743 4,104 9,847
9
ST 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTAL 1,00,942 91,677 1,92,619 76,874 62,353 1,39,227
1 GEN 66,578 58,274 12,485 55,022 46,704 1,01,726
9
9 sc 7,998 7,620 15,518 6,975 5,743 12,718
4
ST 39,739 37,634 77,373 33,709 29,870 63,579
TOTAL 2,17,743 1,78,023
1 GEN 77,177 69,503 1,56,680 63,927 54,765 1,18,694
9
9 sc 9,306 8,693 17,999 8,223 6,856 15,079
9
ST 46,108 44,590 90,698 39,705 35505 75,210
TOTAL 2,55,377 2,08,963
2 GEN 84,072 76,789 1,60,861 70,458 63,586 1,34,016
0
0 sc 10,608 10,161 20,769 10,608 10,161 20,769
4
ST 51,056 49,249 1,00,307 48,093 46,051 94,144
TOTAL 2,81,937 2,48,959

Source: Election Commission of India- State Elections- Legislative

Assembly Election of Sikkim.

Pagel183
 On June 6th, 1995, when the ruling party was about to
complete six months in power, Chamling, at a press conference in
his official residence at Mintokgang, while referring to the
controversial 30 MW Rathong Chu hydel project, said those who
opposed the project would be "construed" as opposing the
government itself. His justification being that the people had given
SDF the mandate to rule for five years and anyone opposing the
government on "any" issue would be going against the mandate.
This according to critics was not only a great blow to the anti-
people project activists in the state but by this very act Chamling
waged war on the democratic process he had sworn to establish.
This was exactly how Bhandari functioned while he was in power to
ensure support of the people. This style of functioning is not only
undemocratic but also leaves little room for free speech and
movement that are essential parts of the democracy (Hill People,
October, 1995).

SDF had promised to give political rights to the people but

on October 12, 1999 there was a 12 hour hunger strike by
representatives of the three ethnic communities at the 'B.L. House'
in Gangtok for restoration of political rights. Four members of the
Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), including its
convenors, Nima Lepcha, and former secretary, Pintso Bhutia
along with Vice-Convenor, Tenzing Namgyal represented the
minority Bhutia-Lepcha community, former minister K.C. Pradhan
represented the Sikkimese Nepali Apex Committee (SNAC), the
Organisation of Sikkim (OSU) represented by its chairman, Jigmee
N. Kazi during the hunger strike (Sikkim Observer, October 13-15,
1999).

Opposition parties and groups were however not happy the way
SDF was working. They felt the need for a strong and united
organisation in view of the prevailing political situation and restore

Pagel184
democracy in the state. Thus, in February 2003, Sikkim United
Democratic Alliance (SUDA) was formed with the objective to
strengthen democratic process, ensure freedom of expression
/movement and fight for restoration of the political rights of the
Sikkimese people as safeguarded under Article 371F of the
Constitution. The Alliance consisted of the BJP, Congress (!),
Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Party, Organisation of Sikkimese
Unity (OSU) and Nebula /National Liberation Front. The SUDA
passed some resolutions in its first meeting at Gangtok with the
following aims and objectives:

• To strengthen the democratic process, to secure freedom of

expression and movement, justice and the rule of law.
• To fight for restoration of political and democratic rights of
the Sikkimese people.
• To maintain peace, unity and communal harmony.
• To eradicate corruption and ensure rapid and genuine
economic development.
• To work for national unity and integration and to safeguard
national security interest in the region (Common Cause, April
2003) (Kazi, 2008, p. 333).

In July 1997, nine SDF leaders resigned from the party as they
were dissatisfied with the non-implementation of some of the
promises in the party manifestoes. They claimed that whatever
commitments were made in the party manifesto were not fulfilled
and the party has been working against the interests of the
people. The leaders who resigned from the party were- Chairman
of the Land use Board and Central Working Committee member,
Dawa Sherpa, two other ewe members and one of the politica I
secretaries of the Chief Minister, P.K. Chamling, T.M. Rai, the ex-
political advisor to SDF and the others who were active members
of the party (Sikkim Express, July 30-2, 1997).

Pagel185
 In the same year, in August, 1997 a new political party-
Sikkim Ekta Manch was launched by the former state power
secretary, Laxmi Prasad Tiwari with the view that the
administration in Sikkim was deteriorating day by day, while the
political standard was going downhill and he urged for "political
reform in Sikkim" (Sikkim Express, August 26- September-01,
1997). The indication is clear by the above events that there are
opposition parties and groups in the society who still think that
real democracy is yet to come in Sikkim.

Jigmee N. Kazi, the editor of Sikkim Observer feels that the

fourth estate, one of the main pillars of democracy has been under
seize in Sikkim for a long time. The vast majority of the people,
the main beneficiaries of a Free Press continue to remain silent
spectators and helplessly watch the press being suppressed (Kazi,
1993, p. 312).

A new political party called the "Sikkim United" was launched

in 2008, which committed to strive for the following issues and
objectives- political, social and economic, good governance and
democratic principles. This party believes that freedom, justice
and rule of Law are the fundamental values in a democracy and
should be preserved (Party leaflet, Sikkim United, 16, Feb, 2008).
57
The organisation demanded the settlement of a long pending
reservation of seats in the Assembly.

57
The organisation of Sikkim Unity which was formed in 1994 with the sole
objective of protecting the rights and interests of the three ethnic groups of
Sikkim was revived in September- October 1999.

Page /186
 Section II

"Janta Ko Rajmo Jantai Raja"

The restoration of democracy under SDF is followed by the its

promise to establish "Janta ko Rajma Jantai Raja". The section
studies how far the party has been able to fulfill its promise?
Democracy in one sense means people's power to rule and making
the people the real ruler. Sikkim Democratic Front was formed
with the objective of restoring democracy in Sikkim. In the
restoration of democracy, the party assured "JANTA KO RAJMA
JANTAI RAJA"- In a Popular Regime People are Sovereign. This
means that the party believes in the people's power and people's
rule.

The SDF was voted to power in 1994 with the slogan that
"Janta Ko Rajma Jantai Raja", i.e. In people's regime, people are
sovereign. It means that the government respects for peoples'
power1 peoples' effective empowerment and their capabilities and
choices. On 12th December 1994, SDF swept the elections based
on the principles of law, spirit of democracy and good governance.
In a state like Sikkim the overwhelming majority are poor people
with handful of rich people. The party thus, feels that the real
rulers are the poor majority and hence the process of
marginalisation of the poor has to be stopped.

The SDF had claimed that one of the biggest achievements of

the SDF government is the restoration and institutionalization of
democracy in Sikkim. For the first time in the history of Sikkim the
poor people of this tiny state realised their power as a ruler; "Janta
Ko Rajma Jantai Raja" (Government of Sikkim, IPR, 2005, p. 141).
Fear psychosis which existed in the previous regimes no longer

Page\187
existed. The party in government have been able to restore
freedom of speech and the rule of law. Everyone has been given
ample opportunities to express them freely. The infrastructure
requirement of the judicial system is completely met. Lok Adalats
have been constituted in all the nine sub-divisions of Sikkim with a
view of bringing justice to the door of the poor people. The Chief
Minister meets the public every Monday and Tuesday to listen to
the grievances of the people and is sent to different departments
through the Grievance Cell for immediate address of the problems
of the people. Similarly he meets Government employees,
Panchayat's, Ex-MLA's various associations and students every
Friday of the week. People's participation is seen to be greater in
the SDF led government. A policy has been formulated by the
government and as per this policy the local rural people of that
particular area are given the construction and maintenance
contracts in those areas where the work is to be implemented. The
work of Rs 10 lakhs is given to the Panchayat level, Rs 20 Jakhs at
the Block level, Rs 50 lakhs at the Sub-Divisional level and Rs 100
lakhs at the District level. Housing being an essential element for
socio-economic development of the society, the Government under
the SDF have been providing grant of Rs 20,000 to the homeless
people of the state to assist them to construct houses under the
Rural Housing Scheme launched since 1995-19g6, Indira Awas
Yojna scheme is being implemented to provide shelter to the
homeless rural people who are living below the poverty line.
Economic programmes are formulated with an aim to create
initiative among the poorest of the poor (Govt. of Sikkim, IPR,
2001).

Pagej188
 Table: 2

DISTRICT WISE NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES FAMILIES (as on

30.6.2007)

District Mukhya Mantri Mukhiya Annapurna Extended Below

Antyodaya mantri Antyodaya Poverty
Scheme
Yojna(MMAAY) Khadya Annadan Line
Suraksha yojna (BPL)
Abhiyan
(EAAY)
(MMKSA)
NORTH 994 2048 226 671 2682

EAST 3531 10885 880 2645 11397

SOUTH 2528 65914 514 1522 6614

WEST 2860 5954 654 1760 6220

STATE 9913 25478 2274 6598 26913

Source: Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, Govt.
of Sikkim, 2007.

Table: 3

DISBURSEMENT OF HOUSING LOANS (as on 31'' March 2002)

YEAR CATEGORY No. of Amount of loan Rate of Recovery

Loans {in \akh)
interest rate(%)

1998-99 Upto Rs 50000 312 109.64 14.50%

Rs 50001 -100000 484 291.68 16.00%

65%
Rs 100001-200000 92 138.60 18.00%

Rs 200001-300000 1 3.00 18.00%

Rs 300001-500000 - . -
Rs 500001 and above - - -
1999- Upto Rs 50000 204 65.68 14.50%
2000
Rs 50001 -100000 243 183.60 15.00%

Page[189
 Rs 100001-200000 177 249.54 18.50%
71%
Rs 200001-300000 3 8.00 19.00%

Rs 300001-500000 - - -

Rs 500001 and above - - -

2000-01 Upto Rs 50000 20 6.84 14.50%

Rs 50001 -100000 6 4.08 15.00%

86%
Rs 100001-200000 4 7.00 18.50%

Rs 200001-300000 2 6.00 18.50%

Rs 300001-500000 1 4.50 18.50%

Rs 500001 and above - - -

2001-02 Up to Rs 50000 5 14.50 14.50%

Rs 50001 -100000 17 15.00 15.00% 85%

Rs 100001-200000 24 37.95 18.50%

Rs 200001-300000 4 11.50 18.50%

Rs 300001-500000 - - -
Rs 500001 and above - - -

Source: Sikkim Housing and Development Board, Government of Sikkim,

Gangtok, 2002

For the protection of the women and women's empowerment the

government formed the Sikkim Women Commission on 12th
November 2001. The government under the SDF initiated steps
towards gender equality and empowerment of women by being the
first to appoint a women minister Rinzing Ongmu from Ranka
constituency during the first term of SDF Government in 1994.
Kalawati Subba from Yoksum constituency was appointed in the
most prestigious post of the Speaker of the State Legislative
Assembly in 1999. For the protection of women 33% seats in th~

Page\190
Panchayati Raj is reserved for women. Women have got the
opportunity to assert themselves because of the emergence of the
SDF government. In the Panchayati Raj Chandramaya Subba was
elected as Zilla Adhaksha from west district in 2004 and Nimkit
Lepcha was elected as Zilla Adhaksha from south district in 1999
Panchayat election in Sikkim. Lassey Doma Bhutia from Assam
Lingzey constituency was elected as Zilla Adakshya in 2004. In
Sikkim, according to the Panchayati Raj update ISS Information
and Documentation Centre, Bangalore 2003, there were 293
women in Gram Panchayat, which was 32.44% and 37 elected
women in Zilla Parishad, which was 37% of the total. Table (2)
shows women's representation in the PRis in Sikkim.

Table: 4

Women Representation in PRis in Sikkim

Local Body Women sc ST OBC Others

Gram Panchayat 293 40 186 200 184

Zilla Panchayat 37 OS 33 30 32

Source: Durga, Chettri, Sikkim Academi, Gangtok, 2007.

Table below shows the details of the number of post occupied by

women representatives as; a) President, Vice President and
Secretary in Gram Panchayats and b) Adhakshaya and Up
Adhakshaya in Zilla Panchaya (as on September 2007.

Pa g e I 191
 Table: 5

District Wise Women Representation in Gram Panchayat as President,

Vice-President and Secretary.

Gram South West East North Total

Panchayat

President 13 10 08 02 33

Vice- 11 20 21 09 61
President

Secretary 09 09 10 01 29

Source: Sikkim Government Gazettee, 2002.

Table: 6

District Wise Women Representation in Z ilia Panchayat,Adhakshya and

Up- Adhakshaya.

Zflla Panchayat South West East North Total

Adhakshaya 01 - - - 01

UP-Adhakshaya - 01 - - 01

Source: Sikkim Government Gazette, 2002.

Since 2000, the government has made the provision of reservation

of seats to all the categories of people in all government jobs. For
the Scheduled Caste seat reserved is 6%, Scheduled Tribe up to
33°/o 1 21% to the Most Backward Classes and 14°/o seats are
reserved for the Other Backward Classes. Reservation of seats for
women in government jobs has been extended up to 30%. The
provision also includes 3% seat reservation for ex-servicemen, 3%
for physically handicapped and 2% for the sportsmen and artists.

Pagel192
 For speedy and smooth functioning of administration at the
grassroots level, 24 administrative centres were opened. People's
Administration system is introduced where the power has been
transferred to villages through panchayat's. To ensure greater role
of Panchayat's in planning and administration, Gram Panchayat
Administrative Centre has been made operational from 1st July,
2003 in all the Gram Panchayat Units (Lama, 2003).

The Government in the budget session (1995-1996) passed

the Municipal Corporation Bill, Motor Vehicles Bill and the
Language Bill. The party President Pawan Chamling stated that it
was obligatory for the SDF government to produce a white paper
and prevent misconduct and misrule.

Language being an important factor for the development of

the society, the regional languages like Bhutia, Limboo, Lepcha are
being taught at the college level also and the government claims
that it is working towards the inclusion of these languages in the
Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Languages like Tamang,
Gurung, Rai, Sherpa, Manger, Newar and Sunwar have been
recognised as state languages for its protection. Separate Welfare
Boards for ST, SC and OBCs/MBCs have been constituted in 2000
by the government for the development and implementation of
various programmes for the weaker sections of the population. 5 8
Various schemes for the welfare and development of women, SCs,
STs, OBCs and handicapped and aged people are being
implemented in the state which includes Indira Mahila, Balika
Samridhi Yojna, small family scheme to delay marriage etc. A
total 803 beneficiaries are covered under Balika Samridhi Jojana
(Government of Sikkim, Sikkim: A Statistical Report, Directorate of

58
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 and
Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 have been extended and enforced in the
state to prevent atrocities against the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes.

Page 1193
Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, 2004-2005, p.
1810). The women in Sikkim are being encouraged by offering
attractive incentives, widow remarriage scheme, and granting
pensions to widows of ex-servicemen.

In Sikkim the weaker sections mainly comprises of Scheduled

Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. Most of the
population belonging to the weaker sections live below the poverty
line and are mostly dependent on agriculture.

Table below shows poverty ratio in Sikkim in various years:

TABLE: 7

YEAR WISE POVERY PERCENTAGE IN SIKKIM

1973-74 1987-88 1993-94

Rural 52.67 39.35 45.01
Urban 36.92 9.94 7.73
Total 50.86 36.00 41.43

Source: Department of Information and Public Relation, Govt. of Sikkim, 2001.

TABLE:S

PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF BPL AND APL HOUSEHOLD WITHIN

DISTRICT, 2006

DISTRICT BPL HOUSEHOLD APL HOUSEHOLD TOTAL HOUSEHOLD

NORTH 18.65 81.35 100
EAST 13.53 86.47 100
SOUTH 24.38 75.62 100
WEST 26.54 73.46 100
TOTAL 19.33 80.67 100

Source: Census of India, State Socia- Economic Census, 2006.

Pagel194
It shows that when the SDF came to power in 1994, the poverty
percent in Sikkim was 41.43%, out of which 45.01 was in the rural
areas and 7. 73 in urban areas. In the district wise distribution of
BPL persons, the west district had the highest percent of people
living below the poverty line with 26.54% of households living
below the poverty line. The south district had the second highest
percent of households-24.38% living below the poverty line. The
north district had 18.65% households living below poverty line and
the east district had 13.53% households living below poverty line.
The table below shows that 19.33% households are below poverty
line in the state. The government under the SDF has given prime
importance to poverty alleviation programmes in Sikkim by
providing financial aids and subsidies under health, education,
agriculture, animal husbandry and horticulture etc. to enable the
weaker sections to stand on their own feet and fight against their
economic hardships. The social welfare wing under the welfare
department in keeping with the government policies, implements
programmes for the upliftment of the poor and needy handicapped
persons, old and the aged, destitute and orphan children.

The government under the SDF implemented BPL schemes

under BPL and Antoyodaya Anna Yojana from April, 1999 and
distributed rice, Sugar and oil at subsidised rates to the people
belonging to below poverty line. Under Antodaya Yojna 6711
beneficiaries were benefited and under Annapurna Scheme 2411
beneficiaries were benefited. Annapurna beneficiaries got their
entitlement directly from 24 food go-downs. The BPL and Antodaya
beneficiaries receive food grains through Fair Price Shops, MPCS
and CCS approved by the department in each panchayat ward. In
the east district the total number of beneficiaries under the BPL
schemes are 17621 persons, the south district has 10951
beneficiaries, the west district has 10802 and the north district has

Pagel195
4077 beneficiaries under the scheme. Under this scheme the
beneficiaries get 35 kg Rice per month per family @Rs 9/- per kg,
700 gms sugar per head per month @Rs14/25 PER KG, 1.25 litres
Oil per unit per month in rural area and 1 litre per unit per month
in urban area.

Table: 9

TOTAL LIFTING OF RICE AND SUGAR w.e.f April 1999 to March, 2003.

Item Period Quantity lifted Amount (in Rs.)

(in qtls)

Rice April, 1999 to March 7,95,100 67,28,27,900

2000

April, 2000 to March 84029 6,26,22,899

2001

April, 2001 to March 1,85,281 12,29,24,610

2002

April, 2002 to March 193758 4,41,176,681

2003

Sugar April, 1999 to March 20,230 2,45,63,000

2000

April, 2000 to March 29,800 3,88,15,000

2001

April, 2001 to March 31,215 4,14,20,375

2002

Source: Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation,

Gangtok, Sikkim, 2004-2005, p. 78

Pagell96
 Table: 10

DISTRIBUTION OF RICE UNDER VARIOUS SCHEMES DURING FINANCIAL

YEAR 2001-2002

SL.NO. SCHEMES UNIT QUANTITY DISTRIDUTED

1 Below Poverty Line Quintals 113730,00

2 Above Poverty Line Quintals 5579.93

3 Annapurna Scheme Quintals 1722.00

4 Antodaya Scheme Quintals 10080.00

TOTAL 131111.93

Source: Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation,

Gangtok, Sikkim, 2004-2005, p. 79

To promote economic and development activities for the benefit of

scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes and
handicapped persons, the government recognised 89 revenue
blocks having a majority of scheduled tribes population and 64
blocks having scheduled caste majority. The government launched
three pronged strategy for the development of SC and ST
comprising of

a) Development measures for education and economic

development.
b) Protection measures through Civil Rights Act and SC, ST
Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 and protective
discrimination in matters of employment and other
facilities.
c) Intensive and integrated development of areas having
majority of scheduled castes and scheduled tribe
population.

Page\197
 Table: 11

Schemes implemented for the welfare of Scheduled Caste during

1998-1999

s Department I Name of the Scheme Physical and Financial

L Achievements
Sector
No.of Expenditure
Beneficiaries

1 Education Stipends to SC students 11 Rs. 26,400

for undergoing one year
Computer Course at
CCCT.

2 -do- Stipends to SC students 10 Rs. 21,000

for undergoing
Shorthand &Typing
Course

3 -do- Stipends to SC students 20 Rs.18,000

for undergoing six
months computer
Course at CCCT.

4 -do- Winter Coaching Classes 30 Rs. 15,000

5 Animal Distribution of piglets at 100 Rs.,2,12,020

husbandry Khamdong, east Sikkim.

6 other Distribution of Sewing 87 Rs. 3,20,421

expenditure Machine at different
villages

Total 258 Rs. 6,12,841

Source: Department of Social Welfare, Govt of Sikkim, 2005

During the Eighth Five Year Plan period emphasis was given on
family oriented schemes and income generating schemes
(Government of Sikkim, IPR, Sikkim, 2001). In order to encourage
the students from the backward section of the society scholarships
has been granted to students according to the guidelines of the

Pagel198
Government of India. 59 The Welfare department has also
constructed a 50-bedded hostel at Palzor Namgyal Girls Senior
School, Gangtok for OBC student's in 1999-2000. A 50 bedded
hostel at Chakung Destitute Home had also been constructed.
Residential school cum hostel for boys and girls at Kamrang,
Namchi, South Sikkim and SC girls hostel cum vocational training
centre at Tadong, east Sikkim has been constructed in the year
1999-2000.

Table: 12
District wise number of Welfare Institutions/Destitute Homes
Beneficiaries

District Welfare Number of

Institutions/Destitute
beneficiaries
Homes

North 5 171

East 16 1212

South 7 185

West 5 681

state 33 2109

Source: Department of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs,

Govt. of Sikkim, 2006-07

The motive behind these constructions is to facilitate and benefit

these weaker sections of the society. Stipends are provided to
disabled students studying outside the state in special schools and

59
The state government has worked towards the implementation of these
programmes and Sikkim Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other
Backward Classes Development Corporation (SABCCO) under the Social Welfare
Department, Government of Sikkim was established under the Companies Act
(Sikkim) 1961 on 29th February 1996.

Pagel199
scholarships for those studying in government schools and
government colleges in Sikkim. Subsistence allowance at the rate
of Rs 500/- pm is being given to identify disabled persons. Old and
needy persons of 65 years and above who have no regular source
of income are provided old age pension. The pension which was Rs
100/- pm before 1994 had been increased to Rs 400/- per month
since April, 2007 (Government of Sikkim, Social Welfare
Department, 2008).

A special school was established for the Hearing impaired

children on 1" June 2004 at Sichey Busty, Gangtok. The Sikkim
State Commission for Women Act has been extended to the whole
of Sikkim and the Commission has been functioning from 24th
November 2002 with eight members including the Chairperson.
The Commission studies the economic, social and health situation
of women in the state with particular emphasis on the tribal areas,
which are underdeveloped.

In the year 1999-2000, the state government implemented

the central schemes like (HYV) High Yielding Variety seeds,
chemical fertilizers for maintaining soil health and promoting crop
production in the fields. From 2002-03 the state government
schemes includes use of organic manures such as farm-yard
manure, composts, vermi-composts, green manure etc. as well as
bio-fertilizers as micro-organisms like Rhizobium, PSM,
Azotobacter, Azospirillium etc. The main idea is to avoid intake of
chemical residues with food, to preserve and maintain soil ecology
with living activities and in good health and to minimise
expenditure on agriculture inputs. From 2003-04 the farmers are
being given technology training and demonstrations at all the
selected Model villages. The government also provided centrally
sponsored schemes like Integrated Cereals Development
Programme, National Pulses Development Programme, and

Pagel200
Oilseeds Production Development Programme. The state
government has implemented the programme of centrally
sponsored schemes on National Watershed Development
Programme for Rain fed Area (NWDPRA) and comprehensive
package of agriculture development activities.

The SDF government in order to help the poor farmer's

exempted the farmer's from paying toll tax for their products
brought to bazaar for sale. The poor rural masses are helped by
the state government who is distributing free LPG to families living
below the poverty line. 50% rebate is being granted to rural
household on electricity and a Janta Bhawan has been constructed
at Gangtok for the poor.

"Janta Ko Raj Ma Jantai Raja"- whether the SDF government

has been successful in making the janta the ruler will be more
clear when an in depth study is made on the ·working of Panchayati
Raj Institutions in Sikkim. Decentralised governance is a part of
democracy since it ensures popular participation in decision
making. We will look at the working of these decentralised bodies
with an emphasis on the devolution of power and financial
resources. This is what we are going to do in the next section of
the chapter.

Section III
Democratic Decentralisation

It is important to discuss democratic decentralisation in Sikkim

under the SDF because Pawan Chamling, SDF party president,
claims that democratic decentralisation an important aspect of
democracy was completely absent before the SDF came to power

Pagel201
in 1994. We note that Democratic decentralisation for development
through the establishment of Panchayati Raj Institutions is one of
the main concerns of the Sikkim Democratic Front government.
The government gave attention to strengthen these institutions
where they existed and provided necessary administrative and
financial resources to these institutions so that they acquire the
capacity for planning and implementation of development
programmes which are important for economic development in the
rural areas.

The concept of Panchayat Raj is not alien for the society in

Sikkim. In the past the state was exclusively concerned with the
urban affairs and neglected the rural poor1 who had to run their
affairs on their own. But Sikkim had their own councils called
"Gyeme" (village elders) in Sikkimese Bhutia language and
"Panchayat" in the Nepali Language. The head of the Gyeme was
called the Khyomee. The traditional panchayat's were mainly
concerned with the trial of petty village cases which were referred
to them by the judicial authorities. They were not concerned with
the welfare activities of the areas. The number of members of the
Panchayat's was not fixed and not permanent. They usually
consisted of five people or "Panch".

Panchayats was reorganised by the Sikkim government for

the first time in January, 1948 by constituting an Elakha Panchayat
Tribunal in every estate consisting of the Landlord and a
government recognised Panchayat consisting of four villagers of
the estate elected by the people with the powers to hear suits up
to a value of Rupees one hundred only. The criminal jurisdiction
extended to petty offences 1 breach of law and order simple hurt,
wrongful restraint, criminal force, assault, theft and
misappropriation and criminal breach of trust of money amounting
to tess than rupees ten only, mischief to property and person,

Pagel202
insult and abuse, and misconduct by a drunken person. The
panchayat's were empowered to impose a fine of twenty five
rupees only. 60 The establishment of well constituted panchayat's
was further strengthened on 21'1 May 1950 and immediate steps
were taken to institute village panchayat's by holding elections 61
Panchayat elections could not be held in 1954 owing to strong
political opposition. Attempts were made to institute village
Panchayat's on an elective basis during the period till 1965. Major
attempt was made to strengthen panchayat's throughout Sikkim in
1962 but it failed to do so.

The Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1965 came into force from

December, 1965 which constituted 213 block panchayat's, 68 in
East Sikkim, 66 in South Sikkim, 60 in West Sikkim and 19 in
North Sikkim. The Block Sabha consisted of adults who were
Sikkim subjects, 21 years of age and those who paid land revenue
as local tax to the government in their names. The election was
not contested on a party or political platform. The first Panchayat
election was held in 1966 under the supervision of the Chief
Election Officer and the Land Revenue Secretary to the Sikkim
Government. The election was conducted in 142 panchayat units.
The second panchayat elections was held in April 1969 in 105 units
of the total 213 as panchayat's of 108 units were declared
uncontested. In 1982, a new Act was enacted which introduced the
constitution of the Zilla or District Panchayat. Since its inception in

50This was the first recorded attempt to establish panchayat's in Sikkim which
was made in 1948 under Notification No. 3052-254/PS dated 24/01/1948.
61
On 15th August, 1951 the Sikkim Government issued a notification in the
Sikkim Darbar Gazette superseding the earlier notification of 1948 which stated
that the Panchayat's were to be elected for a term of three years and render
welfare services like to establish primary schools in conformity with the
government regulation and set up amenities like traveller's rest houses, wayside
benches, repair village paths, set up cattle ponds etc. and jurisdiction in civil
cases up to a value of rupees one hundred only.

Pagel203
 1982, three elections from gram panchayat's were held viz. 1983,
1988 and 1993 prior to the coming of the SDF government.

The Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1993 (Act, No, 6 of 1993) was

enacted and notified on 18/10/1993. This Act follows the
guidelines laid down by the Constitution's 73"' Amendment Act,
1992 for the constitution of panchayt's in the State."2 The Act for
the first time accords constitutional status to the local government
institutions and ensure the reservation of seats for women in
Panchayat's. The Act constituted a three tier structure at
Panchayati Raj Institutions- all states to have uniform three tier
Panchayati Raj structure. 63 At the base is Gram Panchayat. Gram
Panchayat covers a village or group of villages. The intermediary
level is the Mandai or Block level. At the apex is the Zilla
Panchayat covering the entire rural area of the district. The
amendment also made a provision for the mandatory creation of
the Gram Sabha. The Gram Sabha would comprise of all the adult
members registered as voters in the Panchayat area. All the levels
of PRJ are elected directly by the people. The term of each
panchayat body is five years.

Twenty- nine subjects which were earlier in the state list

were identified and listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the
Constitution. These subjects are to be transferred to the PR!s.
These subjects were mostly linked with the development and
welfare at the local levels. The actual transfer of these functions
depends upon the state legislation. Each state decides how many

52 The 73'd Amendment Act came into force on 24th April.

63
The following provisions were ensured by the Act:
Reservation of one third of the total number of seats to women in all the levels of Panchayat's.
Reservation of one third of seats for women STs and SCs from the total number of seats reserved for
STs and SCs in all the three tiers.
c) Reservation of one third of offices of Chairpersons of Panchayat's at all levels for women
including women from SCs and STs.

Page/204
of these twenty nine subjects would be transferred to the local
bodies. The Act thus paved the way for the exercise of political
rights in local self government and participation of the rural people
in grassroots politics.

Keeping in view the new Constitutional 73'' Amendment Act

of 1992, the state government of Sikkim enacted a new
legislation; the Panchayat Raj Act 1993. The new Act incorporated
all the mandatory provisions of the Act including the reservation of
seats for SCs 1 STs and women in Panchayat's. The reservations
were introduced accordingly in 157 (presently 166) village
panchayat's and four district Panchayat's of Slkkim. In 1997 the
first election was held under this Act. The PR!s have been
reorganised as per the 73'' and 74'" Amendment Act 1992
accordingly the Sikkim Panchayat Act 1993 was enacted which
emphasized on reviving of Gram Sabha's, direct election for seat in
Panchayat's at villages and other level, reservation of seats for
weaker sections SC, ST and OBC women 1 devolution of power to
the grassroots level.

TABLE: 13
Details of Fund transferred to Zilla Panchayats During 2006 -07.

51 .No Departments EAST WEST NORTH SOUTH TOTAL

1 Administrative
53.14 43.67 33 48.77 178.58
Expenses

2 Development fund for

Repair I maintanence 56 56 56 56 224
(state plan )

3 Deve\poment fund
9.75 9.75 9.75 9.75 39
(T.F.C)
4 Local area Development
4 4 4 4 6
fund

Source: Rural Management and Development Department, Govt. of

Sikkim, 2006-07

Pagel205
 TABLE: 14

Details of fund transferred to Panchayats during 2006 -07

Sl. Departments EAST WEST NORTH SOUTH TOTAL

No

1 Administrative Expenses 40.84 20.3 14.69 24.82 100.65

2 Development fund for Repair I 65.67 64.57 31.67 59.99 221

maintanence {state plan )

3 Develpoment fund (T.F.C) 510 500 200 450 1660

4 Local area Development fund - - - - -

Source: Rural Management and Development Department, Govt. Of

Sikkim, 2006-07

In the observation made under Rural Management Development,

Govt. of Sikkim, that in the working of Panchayati Raj Institution in
Sikkim it is found out that the 73'd Amendment Act and 74th
Amendment Act has been implemented in the state of Sikkim.
33°/o seats have been reserved for women, which had been
increased to 40°/o, 24 administrative centres have been opened for
speedy and smooth functioning of administration at the grassroots
\eve\. Panchayat's have the jurisdiction over primary schools,
primary health centre, subsidiary health centres, V=VLO centres1
library, community information centres, village tourism, small
scale-irrigation projects and community buildings.

One of the remarkable achievements of the SDF government

is the degree of decentralisation of power in the rural areas. The
villagers got more powers through Panchayat's to make the people
partners in finalising schemes and implementing them at the
grassroots \eve\. 64 The Sikkim Panchayat Act 1993 has been

64
Under Article 243 G of the Constitution of India, the Panchayati Raj Institutions Of Sikkim are
empowered to function as" institutions of self government", enhancing their powers to plan and
implement programmes of economic development and social justice.

Page\206
amended to bring more participation of people in the village
development of the society. On the basis of this for the first time in
the state party based panchayat election was held in October
1997. By holding this party based election in 1997, democracy was
broadened in Sikkim. There was devolution of functions and
decentralisation of power. Panchayat's were vested with powers
and adequate manpower to assist them in the administration and
technical works. Funds were transferred to the Panchayat's both
from the centre and state governments. In addition to this the
state government transferred funds for the development purpose,
for the establishment of Panchayati Raj. During 2003-2004 the
state government transferred Rs 3600.00 lakhs to the Panchayat's
for development works only (Govt. of Sikkim, Department of
Information and Public Relations, 2005, p 125).

Table: 15
DETAILS OF FUND TRANSFERRED TO PANCHAYATS DURING 2002-03
AND 2003-04 TO ZILLA PANCHAYATS

SL. Departments 2002 -2003 (ZILLA PANCHAYATS)

No

1 Rural development East West North South total

a) Administrative expenses 24 23.8 23.2 23.8 94.8

b) Developmental fund 15 15 15 15 60

c) Developmental funds for 5.7 19.32 9.35 5.7 40.07

repair/maintenance(state
plan)

Total (RDD) 44.7 58.12 47.55 44.5 194.5

2 Indusries Deptt. 0.5 2.75 2.1 0.75 6.1

3 Health and Family 8.75 20.6 8.8 0 38.15

Welfare

4 Irrigation deptt. 0.49 0.39 0.3 0.4 1.58

5 Agriculture deptt 1.8 1.5 1.5 0 4.8

Page/207
6 Horticulture deptt. 2.5 2.5 2.5 1.25 8J5

7 Fisheries 1.1 0.4 1.1 0.95 3.55

8 A.H.V.S. 7 22 6 22 57

9 Tourism 0 0 12.5 0 12.5

10 Social Welfare 0 0 11.5 0 11.5

11 Education deptt. 1.41 3.46 0.96 2.17 8

12 Urban development 30 0 0 0 30

Total (other deptt.) 53.6 53.6 47.26 27.52 181.9

Grand total 98.3 111.7 94.81 72.02 376.8

Source: A Statistical Profile, DESME, 2004-2005.

Table: 16

DETAILS OF FUND TRANSFERRED TO PANCHAYATS DURING 2002-03

AND 2003-04 TO GRAM PANCHAYAT'S

SL. Departments 2002 -2003 (GRAM PANCHAYATS)

No

1 Rural development East West North South total

a) Administrative expenses 15.13 15.03 5.35 14.13 49.0

b) Developmental fund 15 15.3 6 13.5 49.8

c) Developmental funds for 0 0 0 0 0

repair/maintenance{ state
plan)

Total (RDD) 30.13 30.33 11.35 27.63 99.4

2 Indusries Deptt. - - - -
3 Health and Family Welfare - - - - -

4 Irrigation deptt. - - - - -

5 Agriculture deptt - - - - -

6 Horticulture deptt. - - - - -

Pagel208
 7 Fisheries - - - - -
8 A.H.V.S. - - - - -
9 Tourism - - - - -
10 Social Welfare - - - - -
11 Education deptt. - - - - -
12 Urban development - - - - -

Grand total 30.13 30.33 11.3S 27.63 99.4

Source: A Statistical Profile, DESME, 2004-2005.

Sikkim follows a two-tier system of Panchayati Raj with the Zilla

Panchayat at the district level and the Gram Panchayat at the
village level. State is divided into four Zilla's or districts presently
consisting of 95 Territorial constituencies and 163 Gram Panchayat
units comprising of 891 wards. The traditional institutions of
Lachung and Lachen known as the Dzumsas were deemed to be
Gram Panchayat units for the purpose of the Sikkim Panchayat
Act, 1993 and exercise its traditional powers and functions. 65

The table below shows the district wise number of Zilla

panchayat, Gram panchayat, and panchayat ward in Sikkim.

65
At the District level, the Dzumsas were recognised as Territorial Constituencies of the
North District Zilla Panchayats.

Pagel209
 TABLE: 17
DISTRICT WISE NUMBER DF ZILLA PANCHAYAT, GRAM PANCHAYAT,
AND PANCHAYAT WARD, PANCHAYAT GHAR, PANCHAYAT MEMBER.

District No. of Zilla No. of Gram No. of No. of Panchayat Ghar No. of Panchayat
Panchayat Panchayat Panchayat members
Members w'ro
2002- 2007- 2002- 2007- 2002- 2007- constr Under Not Zilla Gram
07 12 07 12 07 12 ucted construe
lion "''"'"
ote<l ,,
Panchay Panch
ayat

WEST 25 25 51 53 274 283 29 12 10 25 274

SOUTH 24 23 45 45 255 257 42 4 0 24 255

NORTH 20 20 20 21 103 108 13 7 0 20 103

EAST 31 26 50 44 273 243 29 11 37 to 31 273

go
under
municip
ali~es

STATE 100 94 166 163 905 891 113 34 13....7:=2 100 905
0

Source: Sikkim: A Statistical Profile, DESME, 2006-07.

Table below shows the proportional reservations for Scheduled

Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes in
accordance with the population of the state and the Sikkim
Panchayati Raj update in Sikkim.

Pagel210
 TABLE: 1B

Proportional representative for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes in

panchayat election 2006-07

1 SCHEDULED CASTE (SC) 7 o;,

2 SCHEDULED TRIBE (ST) 38%

3 MOST BACKWARD CLASS (MBC) 23%

4 OTHER BACKWARD CLASS {OBC) 23%

5 UNRESERVED 9%

TOTAL 100%

SOURCE: Panchayat Raj in Sikkim, Rural Management and Development

Department, Govt. of Sikkim

TABLE: 19

SIKKIM PANCHAYATI RAJ UPDATE

51. District Territorial Constituencies GPU Nos Total No of

No GPU members

1 WEST 25 53 283

2 SOUTH 23 45 257

3 EAST 27 44 243

4 NORTH 20 21 108

TOTAL 95 163 891

SOURCE: Panchayati Raj in Sikkim, Rural Management and Development

Departm~nt, Govt. of Sikkim

Pagel211
 TABLE:20

GRAM PANCHAYAT UPDATE

District Sc sc ST ST M8C M8C 08C 08C UR UR Totcil

(w) (W) (w) (w) (w)

WEST 7 8 53 77 30 49 21' 34 1 3 283

SOUTH 6 10 34 48 35 54 27 37 4 2 257

EAST 8 11 33 so 22 31 32 46 1 9 243

NORTH 1 1 41 63 - - - - - 2 108

TOTAL 22 30 161 238 87 134 80 117 6 16 891

SOURCE: Panchayati Raj in Sikkim, Rural Management and Development

Department, Govt. of Sikkim

NB. Inclusive of the two Dzumsas in north district, Lachen and Lachung, total
number of Panchayat members including Zilla panchayat members is 891.

Table: 21

NUMBER OF WOMEN PANCHAYAT ELECTED FROM

51 No Zilla Panchayat

1 West 11

2 South 9

3 East 11

4 North 7

Total women panchayat in 38

Zilla Panchayat

PageiZ12
 Table: 22

Sl No Gram Panchayat

1 West 112

2 South 106

3 East 96

4 North 42

Total women panchayat in 356

Gram Panchayat

Total Women Elected Representatives in Sikkim 397

Source: Panchayati Raj in Sikkim, Rural Management and Development

Department, Government of Sikkim.

While talking about decentralization in Sikkim, it is also right to

talk about Dzumsa-traditional institution in Sikkim. The traditional
laws of Sikkim have been upheld by the Supreme Court, the
traditional system of governance which prevailed in the villages of
Lachen and Lachung in North Sikkim, known as the Dzumsas were
continued withoUt any changes. This system of governance is
traditional and follows the tribal social organisational set, which is
a unique feature that is different from other parts of the state.
This traditional village level body consists of the elders of every
household of the village including women and Lama's of the
religious sect. Two persons are elected from amongst the
members of the Dzumsa and are known as the senior and junior
Pipon. The Pipons are assisted in their work by the representative
of the religious sect (Lamas) called the Chutimpa. The Pipons have
extensive powers in accordance with the customary laws practices.

P a g e \ 213
The Dzumsa performs all the powers for trials of cases in their
respective villages. The term of office is for one year. No office is
nominated to these Dzumsa's. All office bearers are directly
elected by the village community.

Pipon: The highest office bearers in the administrative hierarchy

and are directly elected by the village community.

Gyapon: The next in the administrative hierarchy. They are also

elected.

Thimpeon: are the jury members elected during the time of

disputes or settlement of cases.

Mong-Khim or Dzumsa house: is the place where people meet to

discuss their problem or to transact important business of the
welfare of the community.

Dzumsa Meeting: the meetings are called to conduct public

business (Government of Sikkim, RMDD,)

Out of 166 Gram Panchayat Units 105 units have been

provided with self-contained pucca panchayat ghars. In accordance
with the Constitutional 7Yd amendment Act, the state government
constituted the State Finance Commission. The commission
assessed the financial position of the panchayat's and made
specific recommendations to the government on measures needed
to improve the financial position of the Panchayti Raj institutions in
the state. Since 1997, the state government had made the
provision of granting honorarium to the panchayat's and had
enhanced the annual grants from 10,000 to 15,000 rupees per
annum. Pachayat Assistants (PA's) were appointed to advice the
panchayat's and conduct local survey, collect data for village plan
for greater panchayat role and overall socio-economic
development of the society.

Pagel214
 Sikkim Institute of Rural Development (S!RD) an autonomous
apex level training institute for Panchayat's was established which
is involved in the skill developmental needs for rural development
programmes. During 1995-1997, 100 numbers of panchayat
assistants and 200 numbers of elected panchayat members were
trained on different on-going schemes of the Department, which
included rule awareness and rural management crash courses for
the elected Panchayat's (Government of Sikkim, IPR, 1997, p. 34).

After coming to power in 1994, the government had set aside

70 percent of the state's annual budget for rural development.
Reservation of seat for women in Panchayati Raj Institution was
increased from 33% to 40%. The government opened 24 Block
Administrative Centres for speedy and smooth functioning of
administration at the grassroots level. The decentralisation process
in the state is fast enough for which Sikkim has been graded as a
leading state of the country in power decentralisation. To introduce
the system of "Peoples Administration" power has been transferred
to villages through Panchayat's. Policy has been framed for award
of construction and maintenance of contracts to the people of the
area where work is to be implemented. This has been done in
order to generate employment in the rural areas. For rural
development 10 percent of the plan budget is channelized through
the Panchayat. Gram Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat's directly
receive Rs 10 lakhs and Rs 60 lakhs for developmental works. The
Adhyaksha's and Upa-Adhyaksha's of Zilla Panchayat's have been
given status of ministers of state and Deputy Minister,
respectively. Policy has been implemented which allows Gram
Panchayat's to plan developmental activities of their area. To
encourage rural people's representatives to work for the people
the government has introduced "Pachayatshri" awards. Libraries

Page I 215
have been established to keep Panchayat members in touch with
the latest happenings and knowledge.

With the increase in powers and functions of the panchayat's,

local problems are resolved through Panchayat's and NGOs at the
local level. To build peoples' confidence, the government has
adopted a strategy that mixes decentralisation of power and
people's involvement. Suchna Kendra's have been set up in all 163
Gram Panchayat's and training, workshops to the Panchayat's
under State Institute for Rural Development are organised
regularly to increase the rural people's participation (Govt. of
Sikkim, Sikkim: A Statistical Profile, 2004-2005).

All the 29 subjects as per the XI schedule have been

transferred to the Panchayt's for enhancing their capacity to work.
Computer training programs to the panchayat members are being
imparted. Policy initiatives are being undertaken for empowering
panchayat's through power decentralisation. 27 GPUs of Sikkim
were awarded the prestigious 'Nirmal Gram Puraskar (NGP)' by the
President of India, Abul Kalam on 4th May 2007 at New Delhi. The
NGP was awarded to these GPUs for having achieved 100%
sanitation in the villages (Government of Sikkim, Directorate of
Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Revolution, 2004-05).

Delivering a speech at India- Bangladesh workshop on "

Democracy, Development and Participation" on 13th October,
2003, the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling stated that the SDF
government's core intent is to make each village unit in the state a
self-sustainable entity (Govt. of Sikkim, Sikkim in South East Asia
and Europe, IPR, 2007). Sikkim has been one of the few states of
the country to devolve and decentralize in a very comprehensive
manner. This is done by devolving the financial and institutional
powers, empowering, re-skilling and retraining the able-bodied

Pagel216
rural mass and by broadening their choices. The Pachayat's at the
village level have been adequately empowered to undertake all
development works including community services. This, Pawan
Chamling calls as the "rule of the rural people". He further stated
that in order to strengthen the institution of Pachayati Raj, the
process of power decentralization shall be further expanded and
broadened. To ensure greater participation of general public in
state administration, Sikkim will be divided into thirty
administrative blocks and establish Block Development Office in
each of them. Moreover, the Panchayat members shall be further
empowered and make more accountable. More powers need to be
given to the Zilla Panchayat's for taking up various schemes in
public interest.

The Sikkim Panchayat Act, 1993 was passed with passage of

the Constitution 43'd and 74'" Amendement Act which provided for
the involvement of people in the formulation, planning and
execution of programmes of economic involvement and social
justice. It is primarily aimed at restructuring society towards
participatory democracy and laying the foundation for democratic
decentralization in Sikkim by transferring all functions listed in the
11'" Schedule of the Constitution. Following the Sikkim Panchayati
Act, 1993, two tier Panchayati Raj System has been set up in the
state. Delimitation of state has been carried on with 100 Zilla
Panchayat Territorial Constituencies and 166 Gram Panchayat
Units represented by members from 905 panchayat wards,
including two traditional local self-governments called Dzumsas at
Lachen and Lachung in North Sikkim (Govt. of Sikkim, IPR, 2007,
p. 202). 66

66
In 2005, the Sikkim Panchayat Act was amended to insert a provision for one-
third reservation for women in the quorum of Gram and Ward sabha to ensure
active participation of women in all decisions making.

Page I 217
 Women in Sikkim are enjoying greater rule and responsibility.
33.113% of total Panchayat strength constitutes of the women.
The seats of Zilla Adhyaksha and Zilla Upa-Adhyaksha are
reserved for women in every Panchayat election. The state
government has given the administrative control of all government
institutions like Primary schools, Primary Health Sub-Centres, VLO
Centres 1 Libraries, Community Information Centres, Rural Tourism,
Minor Irrigation Works, and Community Centres etc. to the
President of Gram Panchayat Unit.

The importance of this type of devolution of power to the

panchayat's and the rural people is that the rural people can be
the best judge and make each village unit a self-sustainable entity
and bring Rural Renaissance.

Section IV

The SDF Government and Substantive

Democracy in Sikkim

It is also important to analyse how far the SDF led government has
been able to improve the living conditions of the people by
implementing policies in the state, and thus improving the
underprivileged and poor (weaker) sections of the society. For
fulfilling the promise of restoring democracy, bringing socio-
economic justice to the rural people and promise to give important
and transparent government based on the principles of justice to
the people, the SDF government claims that it had aimed at taking
development to the villages whereas during the regime of the
earlier government most of the developmental projects were
Gangtok- centric.

Pagel218
 The government under the SDF introduced rural housing
scheme which entitled the poor to get a grant of Rs 20,000 who
were Sikkim subjects. It promoted and expanded environment
friendly venture in horticulture, floriculture and tourism. As
compared to earlier governments, centre-state relation has
improved and the central government have given a positive
response to a long awaited demand for the inclusion of Sikkim in
the North East Council

Sikkim Democratic Front Government has provided direct

assistance and improved the lives of the needy sections of the
population by:

• Exempting poor farmers from paying toll tax for their

products brought to bazaar for sale.
• Providing housing grants of Rs 20,000 each for needy
families.
• Providing GCI sheets free of cost to needy families for house
construction.
• Distributing LPG gas free of cost to families living below the
poverty line.
• Granting 50 percent rebate on electricity to rural households.
• Constructing a Janta Bhawan at Gangtok for the poor people
who visit Gangtok for various purposes.
• Providing safe drinking water to 100 percent of the
population both in rural and urban areas.
• Achieving 100 percent electrification in rural and urban
households in Sikkim.
• Simplifying the licensing system for rural traders and
businessmen desirous to start business in rural areas,
The government has included all sections of people as
beneficiaries.

Page I 219
 Table: 23

Physical and Financial Performance Report on Rural Sanitation

Programme for the year 2000-0ct 2003.

SI.No District year SCHEME (PHYSICAL)

HHL ACH !SL ACH BC ACH

1 EAST 2000- 100 30 30 - 1 1

01

2001- 200 200 4S 4S - -

02

2002- 1000 62S 300 218 s 2

03

2003- 1SOO 327 110 2S - -

04

TOTAL 1182 48S 228 6 3

2 NORTH 2000- so so 1S 1S 1 1
01

2001- 83 83 1S 1S - -
02

2002- 100 7S 100 70 1 -

03

2003- SOD 10S 71 8 - -

04

TOTAL 313 201 108 2 1

3 SOUTH 2000- 109 109 100 10 1 1

01

2001- 3S 3S 60 60 8 7
02

2002- 3S 3S 34 34 4 -
03

2003- 11 11 6 6 - -
04

TOTAL 190 200 110 13 8

4 WEST 2000- 12S 12S 100 100 1 1

01
·-

Pagel220
 2001- 75 75 70 70 4 -
02

2002- 30 30 20 20 - -
03

2003- 15 15 15 15 - -
04

TOTAL 245 205 205 5 1

Source: A Statistical Profile, Directorate of Economics, Statistics,

Monitoring and Evaluation, Gangtok, 2004-05.

HHL- Household Latrine ISL - Institutional Sanitary Latrine

BC -Bathing cubical ACH -Achieved

Table: 24

STATUS OF THE COVERAGE OF THE PROGRAMME

SL. No Programme unit Coverage status

.

2000- 2001- 2002- 2003-04

01 02 03
(upto
september

1 Rural water No. Of 0 0 0 0

Habitation
supply
partially
covered

No. Of 130 126 130 27

Habitation
fully
covered

No. Of 0 0 0 0
Habitation
not
covered

Page I 221
 2 Rural length in 0 0 0 0
connectivity KM

3 Rural No. Of 0 9600 7250 6000

housing houses

Source; A Statistical Profile, Directorate of Economics, Statistics,

Monitoring and Evaluation, Gangtok, 2004-05

People's participation was more in the democratic and political

development process. Zigmee Sherpa, a resident of Soreng in
West Sikkim said that "the Sikkim Sangram Parishad under Nar
Bahadur Bhandari, never brought any development work for the
villages. She said at least SDF government under Pawan Chamling
is doing something for the poor. Suman Gurung of Jorethang in
South Sikkim feels the same, "the SDF has always helped the poor
people through housing loans and in other ways" The SDF has a
strong hold in the villages as other political parties do not have a
close connection with the villages as they hardly visit the rural
area and interact with the rural mass. Sikkim Democratic Front,
thus, a well organised party has done the grassroots work very
strong. It can be said that it is a Cadre-based political party like
the Communist party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal. The party
have made the rural areas very strong through the devolution of
power to the Panchayat's. Out of the total 873 wards in rural
Sikkim, the SDF controls around 850 wards.

However there are criticisms as well on the government's

policies. Biraj Adhikari, an opposition leader had criticised that the
SDF leadership is visionless, directionless and full of publicity
stunts. Democracy in Sikkim under SDF can be called participatory
Democracy where the grass roots are enabled to take part in the
working of state administration through panchayat's, though the

Pagel222
final decision is from the top most level. The people are given
chance to participate in the democratic process by different means
and measures. The panchayat's are directed to conduct meetings
with the public and discuss the problems faced by the villagers.
Panchayat Bhawans 1 offices are maintained. People can meet
panchayat leaders for different works. This has made the life of
people easier. Verifications of many official papers are done at
panchayat level so that people do not face any hardship in
processing their works. This has made PRis more responsible.

The State Government has implemented the central schemes

under PRJ's in order to make peoples' life easy. The schemes like

1) Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) was launched in

the year 2000. The core objective of PMGSY is the rural road
connectivity and rural development by promoting access
economic and social services and generating productive
employment opportunity which also helps in poverty
alleviation.

2. Rural Water Supply. The primary objective of the scheme is

to provide safe drinking water to the rural people where water
supply has not yet been provided. The state government is
giving importance to this so as to provide drinking water to all
the people in the villages.

The Table below shows the year wise Water Supply Schemes
sanctioned under Sikkim Democratic Front.

Pagel223
 Table: 25

Year Wise Break Up of Water Supply Schemes Sanctioned

51. YEAR No. Of SCHEMES COST IN CRORES

No.

1. 1994-95 247 9.76

2 1995-96 448 18.36

3 1996-97 183 9.98

4 1997-98 59 0.82

5 1998-99 594 25.88

6 1999-2000 417 19.46

7 2000-01 103 3.16

8 2001-02 309 16.68

9 2002-03 1 9.02

10 2003-04 476 37.58

11 2004-05 2 1.54

12 2005-06 482 25.82

13 2006-07 2194 9.44

14 2007-08 194 13.22

15 2008-09 156 12.00

total 3693 212.72

Source: Panchayati Raj in Sikkim, Rural Management and Development

Department

3. Model Villages: Construction of Modern Villages is a scheme

which has been implemented since 2001-2002 with an objective to
encourage village tourism in rural areas and to provide rural
shelter to the financial weaker sections in rural areas. The
government has sanctioned Model Villages at

Page 1224
 a) Assangthang in South District
b) Phenzang in East District
c) Rangang in South District

4. Total sanitation campaign: is being implemented in Sikkim

through the sanitation wing of the Rural Department, Government
of Sikkim. It has covered at large the sanitation aspect in schools
individual households, Anganwadis in rural areas, institutions and
public places with sanitation facilities and promoted hygeine,
education and proper sanitary habits among students and public in
general.

The other schemes being National Rural Employment

Guarantee Scheme, Sikkim (NREGAS) which was implemented is
2006 in North District and 2007 in South and East Districts with
the objective of providing 100 days of guaranteed unskilled wage
employment to each rural household. With the decentralization of
power the panchayat and Gram Sabha's have been directed to
take up schemes and programmes at villages.

Democracy however simply does not mean the

implementation of schemes and policies of the government. Free
and fair participation of the people in the decision making ensures
successful democratic set up in the state. But there has been an
ideological and political debate in the contemporary world
regarding democratic rule. Political equality is the core feature of
democracy which means political power should be evenly
distributed. But here it is not very clear to whom or to what body
or persons the power should be distributed. Democratic system
which is known as the best form of peoples' rule sometimes
restricts political participation which means under the Indian
democratic condition the act of voting.

Pagel225
 CHAPTERV

MOBILISATION OF THE SUPPORTER'S

AND THE ELECTORAL BASE OF THE SDF
IN THE STATE I

The chapter analyses the support base of the party among

different groups including classes in the state. This chapter and
the following one (chapter IV) are based on a field survey
conducted in four different constituencies in the four districts of
Sikkim. In Sikkim there are 32 constituencies, out of which 17
(seventeen) are general constituencies, 12 (twelve) are reserved
for Scheduled Tribe's, 2 (two) for Scheduled Caste's and one seat
is reserved for the Sangha (monk). Delimitation of the
constituencies was done in 1972 under the Indian Delimitation Act
1972. The -number of Assembly Constituencies and Parliamentary
constituencies in Sikkim has remained the same since it's first
division in 1972. In Sikkim next delimitation of constituencies took
place for the general election of 2009. But the current survey is
conducted on the basis of the earlier 32 constituencies. The 32
constituencies in different districts are:

WEST DISTRICT

1. Yoksum

2. Geyzing

3. Dentam

4. Bermiok

5. Rinchenpong (ST)

6. Chakung

PageiZZ6
 7. Soreng

8. Daramdin

9. Tashiding (ST)

SOUTH DISTRICT

10. Jorethang - Nayabazaar

11. Ralang (ST)

12. Wok

13. Damthang

14. Melli

15. Rateypani- West Pen dam (SC)

16. Temi- Tarku

EAST DISTRICT

17. Central Pendam (East Pendam)

18. Rhenock

19. Regu

20. Loosing - Pacheykhani

21. Pathing (ST)

22. Khamdong (ST)

23. Martam (ST)

24. Rumtem (ST)

25. Assam Lingzey (ST)

26. Ranka (ST)

27. Gangtok

PageiZ27
NORTH DISTRICT

28. Dzongu (ST)

29. Lachen - Manshila (ST)

30. Kabi Thingda (ST)

31. Rakdong Tentek (ST)

32. Sangha (Monk) 67

The survey was conducted in a II the four districts of Sikkim. The

constituencies covered were; Lachen- Mangshila in the north
district, Geyzing in the West district, Damthang in the south
district and Gangtok in the East District. Amongst these four
constituencies, Gangtok is the only constituency which is urban
and the rest are rural constituencies.

The chapter is divided into two sections and several

subsections. Section I covers district wise distribution of
population, with subsections which covers distribution of
population town wise, social category, literacy rate, religion,
language, occupation -land holders, agricultural farmers, voters
and revenue blocks. Section II, deals with the base of the party in
the Damthang constituency of the state. In the next chapter, the
chapter that follows we look at the support base of the party in the
remaining three constituencies that we have surveyed in the state.

SECTION I
THE PEOPLE IN SIKKIM

67
The Sangha constituency is not a territorial constituency; it is reserved for
only the monks of all the monastries in Sikkim.

Pagel228
The study of the support base of the party in the four
constituencies surveyed can be better understood when we have
an idea regarding the population, literacy rate, linguistic
composition, religious composition, social category, occupation of
the people, cultivators and land holders, voters and revenue
blocks of the state. Hence we in the beginning of chapter in this
section look at the distribution of population, literacy rate,
language, religion social category, occupation, cultivators and land
holders, voters and revenue blocks in Sikkim with a focus on all
the four constituencies where the survey was conducted.

District Wise Distribution of Population

Sikkim, with a total area of 7096 Square kilometres constitutes

0.22 percent of the total geographical area of India. According to
the regional divisions of census of India, the state is one of the
four micro-regions of the North-Eastern Himalayas, other being
Darjeeling, Oooars areas of West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh. 68
The state is divided into fOUr districts - North, South, East and
West districts. Namchi is the headquarters of south district,
Geyzing of the west district, Mangan of the north district and
Gangtok of the east district.

As per the provisional census, 2001, the total population of

Sikkim is 5,40,493 persons, consisting of 2,88,217 male and
2,52,276 female in the state. District wise population of Sikkim
indicates that the East district has the largest population with
2,44,790 persons, 1,32,745 male and 1,12,045 female population
and the North district is the least populated with 41,023 persons
out of which 23,410 are male and 17,613 female population. The
south district has a population of 1,31,506, out of which 68227 are

68
The state is sourrounded by Bhutan in the east, Nepal In the west, Tibet in the
north and West Bengal in the south.

Page\229
male and 63279 are female. The population of west district is
recorded as 1,23,174, out of which 63835 are male and 59,339
are female (Census of India, 2001). Though the North district
occupies the largest area of 4,226 square Kilometres of the state,
it is the least populated district due to various factors like hostile
geographical conditions, high altitude mountains, glaciers, rugged
topography and difficult accessibility.

The table below shows the inter-causal change in population in the

four districts of the state in the period from 1981 to 2001.

Table: 1
Inter-Censual change in population- district wise

STATE/ 1981 1991 2001 2001 2001

DISTRICTS MALE FEMALE
SIKKIM 3,16,385 4,06,457 5,40,493 2,88,217 2,52,276
NORTH 26,455 31,240 41,023 23,410 17,613
EAST 1,38,762 1,78,452 2,44,790 1,32,745 1,12,045

SOUTH 75,976 98,604 1,31,506 68,227 63,279

WEST 75,192 98,161 1,23,174 63,835 59,339
..
Source: Census of Ind1a, 2001, S1kk1m ProvJSlonal

As per the Census report of 2001, there has been decadal increase
in the population in all the four districts of the state. The
maximum rise is seen in the East district followed by South, West
and the North districts. The rise of population in East district,
especially in Gangtok is recorded as the most populated town in
Sikkim. Gangtok is the headquarters of east district and the
Capital of the state. All the important departments and offices are
located at Gangtok. The facilities like easy transportation and
communication and job facilities in both government and private

Pagel230
firms have attracted the people from other parts of the state and
outside the state.

Distribution of Population: Town Wise

The total number of towns in Sikkim is 8 (eight). North has one

town- Mangan, South with two- Jorethang and Namchi, East has
three towns- Gangtok, Singtam and Rangpo and West district has
two towns- Nayabazar and Geyzing. The population of Mangan is
recorded as 1,248 persons out of which, 768 are male and 480
female populations. In the East district, Gangtok comprises of a
total population of 29,162 persons out of which 15,816 are male
and 13,346 are female. Singtam has a total population of 5,431
persons, with 3,049 males and 2,382 females. Rangpo comprises
of a total population of 3,724 persons, with 2,044 male and 1,680
female populations.

The two important towns in south district are Namchi and

Jorethang. West district has two towns, Geyzing and Nayabazar.
Geyzing has a total population of 828 persons out of which 489
are males and 339 females. Nayabazar comprises of a total
population of 996 persons with 537 males and 459 females
(Census of India, 2001).

Table: 2.

Population of Town- 2001

MALES FEMALES TOWN

DISTRICT TOWN
1991 2001 1991 2001 1991 2001

NORTH MANGAN SOB 768 295 480 803 1248

GANGTOK 14189 15816 10835 13346 25024 29162

SINGTAM 2259 3049 1609 2382 3868 5431

EAST
RANG PO 1676 2044 1304 1680 2980 3724

Page I 231
 NAMCHI 389 573 241 405 630 978
SOUTH JORETHANG 1128 1571 811 1397 1939 2968

GEYZING 441 489 276 339 717 828

WEST
NAYABAZAR 560 537 485 459 1045 996
Source: Census of Ind1a
.
1991, S1kk1m
..
Prov1s1on, Population Totals
(Paper 1,2,3 of 2001)

Distribution of Population as Per Social Category

In Sikkim there are mainly three ethnic groups; Bhutia's, Lepcha's

and Nepali's. Out of a total population of 5,40,493, the total ST
population is 1,11,405. 6"The scheduled tribe population includes
Bhutia's, Lepcha's, Tamangs, Limboos, Sherpas, Tibetans and
Yolmos. The Scheduled Tribe's comprises of a total of 1,01,909
persons in the rural areas and 9496 persons in the urban areas.
Among the fou~ ·districts in the state, the north district records the
highest percent; 22.33% of ST population in the state. The male
population is 56,940 and the female population is 54,465. Bhutia
and Lepcha community constitutes the majority of the scheduled
tribe population. The Bhutia population is 70,308 in total persons
out of which 62,662 are in rural areas and 7,646 in the urban
area. In terms of sex wise distribution of population, 35,770 are
males and 34,538 are females. Lepcha's are the original scheduled
tribes in the state comprising of 40,568 of the total population
with 38,757 in the rural areas and 1,811 in the urban areas.
20853 persons comprises of a male population and 19715 female
population (Bhatt and Bhargawa, 2005, pp. 48-53).

59
Scheduled Tribe population was 20.6% as the two communities -Limboo and
Tamang were recognized as Scheduled Tribe only in 2003 and were not
enumerated as Scheduled Tribe in 2001 census.

Page\232
Scheduled Caste Population: The total population of scheduled
caste in Sikkim is 27,165 persons, where 1,3807 are males and
13,358 are females i.e. 5.93 percent. The scheduled castes
belong to Damai, Majhi, Sarki, Generic caste and Kami. The
Damai's are 7,448 in total persons, 3,749 are males and 3,699
females. Kami is the highest among the scheduled caste with a
total population of about 17,950, out of which 9,139 are males
and 8,811 females. Majhi is probably the group having the least
population of 345 persons with 179 males and 166 females. The
Generic castes population are 499 in total, 273 males and 226
females.

District wise, the East district has the highest scheduled caste
population comprising of 4,405 persons, followed by South district
with 2,254 and the West district which has the least number of
scheduled caste population with only 288 persons.

Nepalese/Nepali: The remaining category are Nepali"s comprising

71, 74 percent of the total population. This category is further
divided into OBC (Other Backward Classes), MBC (Most Backward
Class), and General groups. OBC includes caste groups like
Chettri, Bahun, Pradhan, Bhujel, logi and Sanyasi. MBC includes
Rai, Gurung, Thapa (Manger) and Sunwar. The general class are
the Marwaris, Biharis, Bengalis who have resided in Sikkim before
1975 and whose names are included in the voter list.

Literacy Rate

The Literacy rate in Sikkim has increased steadily since 1971

among both male as well as well as female population. 70 To raise
the literacy rate education has been given priority by the state

70
Since Sikkim's merger with the Indian Union in 1975, the literacy rate
increased from 34.74% in 1981 to 69.68% in 2001 ( Census of India,
1981,1991 and 2001).

Pagel233
governments. Education has been given much priority and free
tuition fee 1 school uniforms, school bags and stationeries' up to
class V has been provided by the state government. The
provisional census report, 2001 shows that the literacy rate in
Sikkim has increased to 69.68 percent in 2001.

Page 1234
 Table: 3
Increase in Literacy rate from 1971-2001

YEAR PERSONS MALE FEMALE

1971 17.74 25.35 8.90

1981 34.05 43.95 22.20

1991 56.94 65.70 46.76

2001 69.68 76.73 61.46

Source. Census of India,

..
PrOVISion 2001.

The table shows that the literacy rate in the state has increased
rapidly. The total literate persons in the state is 3,22,828
(69.68%) out of which 1,91,326 are males and 1,31,500 females.
Literacy rate in the urban areas is much higher than the rural
areas. The total number of literate persons in the urban areas is
45,951 persons, out of which 26,407 are males and 19 1 544 are
females, (84.82%). The total number of literate persons in the
rural areas are 2,76877 persons out of which 1, 64 1 919 are female
and 111958 are male population (67.07%).

In the district wise distribution of literacy rate, the North

district has 69.11% literacy rate comprising of 23,177 persons out
of which 15,673 are females and 8,360 males. 71 The total percent
of literacy rate in the rural areas is 68.78% and the total percent
of literacy rate in the urban areas is 79.41%. According to the
2001 census the east district has the highest literacy rate in the
state with 75.57%, 72,89% in the rural area and 84.86% in the

71
North is the only district where female literacy rate is higher than the male
literacy rate.

Pagel235
urban areas. The total number of literates are 1 1 62 1 069 1 out of
which 96255 are males and 65,814 females.

The literacy rate in the south district is 68.12% 1

comprising of a total 75 1 400 persons 1 out of which 43,251 are
males and 32,149 are females. The rural area has 72,230 literate
persons i.e. 67.43% of the total and 88.92% of the literates is in
the urban areas. West district comprises of 61,326 literate
persons, out of which 36 1 147 are males and 25,179 are females.

Table: 4

District wise Literacy Rate- 2001

PERSONS MALE FEMALE PERCENT

s TOTAL
3,22,828 1,91,326 1,31,500 69.68
I
K RURAL
K 2,76,877 1,64,919 1,11,958 67.07
I URBAN
M 45,951 26A07 19,544 84.82
TOTAL
N 24,033 8,360 15,673 69.11
0 RURAL
R 23,177 8,059 15,118 68.78
T URBAN
H 856 301 555 79.41
TOTAL
96,255 65,814 75.57
E 1,62,069
A RURAL
s 72,974 48A13 72.89
1,21,387
T URBAN
23,281 17,401 84.86
40,682
TOTAL
75,400 43,251 23,149 68.12
s
0 RURAL
u 41A41 30,789 67.43
72,230
T URBAN
H 1,810 1,360 88.92
3 170
TOTAL
w 36,147 25,179 59.31
61,326
E RURAL
s 35,386 24,697 59.02
60,083
T URBAN
761 482 77.98
1,243
..
Source: Census of India, ProviSIOnal 2001

Pagel236
 In the East, West and South districts, the male population is
higher than the female population. As per the distribution of
literacy rate district wise in the state, the Bhutia community has
the highest literacy rate with 67.90% followed by the Lepcha's
with 65.67%. The literacy rate among the Scheduled Caste is
67.14% (Bhatt and Bhargawa, 2005).

Religion Wise Distribution of Population

The history of religion and socio-religious transformation in Sikkim

moved with time and people. According to the 2001 census the
believers of Hinduism were more than others with 68.37 % of
population, Buddhism with 27.15°/o and Christians with 3.3%. 72
The Hindus constitute a great majority in three districts except
North. Buddhism is the religion followed by 60.20% of population
in the North district. About 26% population in the East district are
Buddhist. In the South and West districts more than 71% of the
population are Hindus and more than 22°/o are Buddhist, the
Christian's are sparsely distributed in all four districts of the
state. 73 The Muslims, Sikhs and Jain's constitute a very low share
in the population (Census of India, Provisional 2001)

Language

The three major languages spoken in the state are Nepali, Bhutia
and Lepcha. But due to the overwhelming presence of the
Nepalese, Nepali language has become the lingua franca of the
state. Officially English and Nepali are used for all purposes. The
communities like Bhutia, Lepcha, Rai, Tamang, Gurung, Newari etc

72
The spread of Hinduism in Sikkim is traced back to the Gorkha invasion and
the Gorkha rule in parts Sikkim for many years before the merger.
73
Influence of Christianity in Sikkim has its background in the Treaty of Titaliya
in 1817 A.D when Sikkim became British Protectorate through this treaty.

Page I 237
use their mother tongue as a means of communication within their
own communities. For the preservation of the languages and
scripts of the ethnic groups the state government have promised
74
to take steps for its promotion. At the college level languages
like Bhutia, Lepcha and Limboo were also introduced as an elective
subject under the newly established Sikkim University.

Occupation

Sikkim being an agricultural land, agriculture and allied activities

75
has been the mainstay of the majority of the Sikkimese people.
The economic activity of Sikkim is primarily mix-farming-
agriculture, horticulture and livestock rearing. The mixed farming
system of agriculture, horticulture and livestock rearing practices
are common in Sikkim. The climate of Sikkim is favourable for
growing a large number of high- value cash crops such as
cardamom!,_., seec;J potato 1 ginger, variety of fruits, off-season
·'
vegetables and numerous other horticultural crops (Subba 1
2008). 76 The People are mainly depended upon government jobs
as there is less employment opportunities in the private sector.
Moreover1 Sikkim being a non-industrial state, the establishment
of industries is expensive as it has to important raw materials from
outside the state, which is also a great reason for minimal
employment and income generation.

74
Rai, Tamang, Gurung scripts and languages had been introduced at the school
levels as one of the core subjects.
75
About 89% of the population of Sikkim is living in the rural areas (Census of
India 2001).
76
The cropping patterns of the state have undergone changes since the merger
with India in 1975.

Pagej238
Land Holders and Agricultural Farmers

Despite the fact that Sikkim is a hilly and mountainous region,

land has been central to the political economy of the state? 7
Agriculture contributes to nearly 50% of the State's income. Land
distribution among the three ethnic groups- Lepchas, Bhutias, and
Nepalese in the state is uneven. The Nepalese own more than
50% of the cultivable land, Bhutia's own the second largest and
78
Lepchas the least.

The total land holding in Sikkim is recorded as 99.36%

which is divided into the three ethnic groups- Lepcha's, Bhutia's
and the Nepalese. Out of this 58.66% is owned by Nepalese,
20.38% by Lepcha's and 30.32% by the Bhutia's.

Table 5

Ethnic distribution of land in Sikkim

Ethnic Total Total Dry Waste Cardamo Total

Group Paddy Land Land m (large) Cultivated
Field Land

Bhutia 27.12 16.13 24.18 27.05 20.32

Lepcha 14,97 - 17.53 32.72 20.38

Nepali 57.19 64.95 62.00 22.37 58.66

Total 99.28 99.56 99.60 82.15 99.36

Public

Grand 11727.1 64739.8 11734.4 21761.7 109963.0

Total

(Source: S1kk1m, Human Development Report, 2001)

71
Like other mountainous areas of the world, in Sikkim land is a scarce
commodity. Out of total geographical area of 709,600 hectares (13.67%) of
land is available for cultivation.
78
According to Revenue order No. 1 of 1917, the land belonging to the two
mainly Bhutia and Lepcha communities of the state have remained unaffected
and un-alienated (Sikkim, Human Development Report, 2001, p.42)

Pagel239
Much of the land in Sikkim is distributed among the small and
marginal farmers. The small and marginal farmers were 59.53%
during 1976-77. It had increased to 68.71 in 1980-81, and 70.76
in 1990-91. This category were holding 21% of operational area in
1976-77 which increased to 28.20% in 1980-81, and again
decreased to 28.00% in 1990-91 of the total operational area. The
semi-medium, medium and large category farmers were 40.47%
in 1976-77, it declined to 31.29 in 1980-81, and to 29.24% in
1990-91. They were holding 79% of the operational land in 1976-
77, which declined to 71.80% in 1980-81 and 72% in 1990-91 of
the total operational area (Subba, 2008, p.81).

Table: 6

Distribution of land holdings and area in % by size classes (1976-91)

Category 1976-1977 198(1.1981 199(1..1991"

No% % A~% % No% % '""% % No% % ""''% %

Marginal 3430 59.53 ,.., 21.0 45.43 10.97 28.20 10.30 26.00
68.71
"" 70.76

Small 25..23 14.17 79D 2327 17..23 21.19 17.70

Semi- 23.92 40.41 26.44 19.44 31.29 21.97 71.80 17.19 2924 23.68 72.00
medium

Medlu 13.79 31.66 10.30 30.77 9.68 28.11

large 2.75 20.90 1.55 13.06 2.37 20.20

.
Source: Agn. Census 1976-77, 1980-81, 1990-1991.

District wise, the East district has the largest number of holdings
whereas the North district has the lowest. In terms of area, North
district has 7. 71 hectares, east has 1. 70°/o, West 2.66% and south
2.28% hectares respectively (Lama, 1994, p. 137). The total
numbers of cultivators in Sikkim is 95,078. The total number of

Pagel240
agricultural labourers constitutes 12851 in Sikkim, 12756 in the
rural area and 95 in the urban area. The total number of
cultivators and agricultural farmers in the west district constitutes
the highest number with 33,676 cultivators. The north district has
the lowest number of cultivators with 6,198 persons. The east
district records 26027 cultivators and the south district 290177
cultivators.

East district has the highest number of agricultural labourers

constituting 5,566 persons, followed by West with 3,171, South
with 2,111 and North with 2003 (Government of Sikkim, Sikkim
Human Development Report, 2001).

Table 7

Distribution of cultivators and Agricultural Farmers

AGRICULTURAL
SIKKIM CULTIVATORS
LABOUR
95,078
Total 12,851
95,039
Rural 12,756
39
Urban 95
6,198
NORTH-Total 2,003

Rural 6,193 1,992

5
Urban 11

CHUNGTHANG- Total
BOO 190

Rural
BOO 190

Urban - -
5,39B
MANGAN- Total 1,813

5,393 1,802
Rural

5 11
Urban

Page I 241
 EAST- 26,027
Total 5,566
25,998
Rural 5,483
25
Urban 83

GANGTOK~ Total 15,523

3,175
15,494
Rural 3,092

Urban 29
83
Source: Government of S1kk1m, S1kk1m Human Development Report, 2001

Voters

The total number of voters in the state as recorded is 2,55,377

voters, out of which 1,32,591 are male voters i.e. 48.8°/o. In
1979-1980 the total number of voters were 1,18,224 (64,616
male voters 'a'lld 53,608 female·voters). It increased to 2,62,445 in
1999-2000. In the State Assembly election, 1999, the total
number of voters in east district was recorded the highest with
1,13,107 voters. In south district 57,588 voters were recorded,
the west district recorded 66,278 voters and the north district with
18,404 voters respectively. The North district comprises of a total
of 18,404 voters, where 9,061 (49.23%) are male voters and
9,343 (50.73%) female voters. East district has the total number
of 1,13,107 voters where 33,612 are male and 32,666 female
voters. South district has total 57,588 voters where 29,658 male
and 27,930 female voters (Census of India, Provisional 2001).

Revenue Blocks

There are a total 453 revenue blocks in the state. Revenue block
has been taken as the lowest enumeration block. Revenue block is

Pagei24Z
 not a single agglomeration of habitation. 79 It consists of several
hamlets, for census purpose the village (revenue block) has been
the ultimate unit area in which the country is divided for the
purpose of collection of land revenues in the state.

The revenue blocks in the state are divided into categories of

different population ranging from- viz. (1) less than 200, (2) 200
- 499, (3) SOD- 999, (4) 1000- 1999, (5) 2000- 4999, (6) 5000
- 9999 and (7) 10,000 and above. In Sikkim no revenue block in
any district or sub-division falls under the population range of
10,000 and above. Only three revenue blocks in Gangtok sub-
division of East district fall under the category of 5000-9999
population. Majority of revenue blocks (160) are having population
ranging from 500-999. A small proportion of population (1.26%) is
living in revenue block falling in the population range of less than
200. The revenue block comprising the population range of 2000-
4999 is occupied by the 20.71% of the total rural population and
5.08°/o of total rural population live in the revenue blocks in
population range from 5000-9999.
_,._.
Among the sub-divisions in the population range of less than
200, Soreng sub-division of West district has recorded the lowest
percentage (0.53) where as Chungthang sub-division of North
district recorded the highest proportion (5.47%). Out of a total
453 revenue blocks, 411 are the actual revenue blocks, 39 are
forest blocks, 2 monasteries and one tea estate. The total number
of inhabited revenue blocks is 447. The North district has total 53
revenue blocks, the East district has 130 , South district has 144
and West district has 120 inhabited revenue blocks (Census of
India, Sikkim, 1991, series 22, p. 100-125).

79
In Sikkim revenue Block is the co-terminous of revenue village.

Page]243
 TABLE:B

Number of inhabited revenue blocks in each census (1961-1991)

State/ district 1961 1971 1981 1991

Sikkim 460 215 440 447

North 45 21 51 53

East 155 68 126 130

South 260 66 144 144

West - 60 119 120

Source: Census of India- series 22, Directorate of Census

Operation, Sikkim, 1991, pp.l00-101.

SECTION II
Support Base of the Party (SDF) in
Damthang Constituency of South District

After having discussed certain general features on Sikkim let us

now come to main section of the chapter where we look at the
support base of the party. In this section we look at the support
base of the party in Damthang Constituency of South District. It
deals with the distribution of population, literacy rate, language,
religion social category, income and occupation, cultivators and
land holders, economic background, political participation and
performance of the party in this constituency.

Page)244
 The survey was conducted in the month of April 2008
covering five out of nine panchayat blocks. The panchayat blocks
include:

1) Maniram Singithang G.P -which covers villages like

a) Phalidara b) Phalipongdara.
2) Maniram Block -covering
a) Maniram and b) Bhanjyang Alley
3) Salleybung Block - covering
a) Upper Salleybung and b) Lower Sa lleybung
4) Singithang Block- covering Singithang
5) Boomtar Block which covers Lower Boomtar.

The section is further sub-divided into sub-sections which deal

with the distribution of population caste/community wise in the
constituency, occupation and income of the people, in terms of
distribution of land of holders and cultivators 1 economic
background, religion and language. The section further studies
questions like why do the people support the party (SDF) and do
not support other political parties. And whether the people are
satisfied with the performance of the government under the
Sikkim Democratic Front?

Caste/Community in Damthang Constituency

In terms of caste/community Damthang constituency consists of
mainly Nepalese and some Scheduled Tribe's like Sherpa and
Bhutia and Scheduled Castes. The Nepali community mostly
belongs to the Most Backward Class (MBC) category. In Sikkim the
Nepali's are divided into MBC (which includes Rai, Gurung, Thapa,
Manger, Sunwar, and Bhujel). The Other Backward Classes
(OBCs) includes Chettri, Bahun, Newar, Jogi and Sanyasi. General
Class includes Marwaris, Biharis whose names are enrolled in the
election voter list. The majority voters belong to Nepali

Page \245
 community, mostly Rai, Gurung, Manger and some scheduled tribe
groups like Bhutia, Sherpa and Tamang. Among the surveyed
population in this constituency out of a total 140 persons, 110
belonged to the MBC category, 15 belonged to Sherpas (ST)
community, 10 belonged to the Bhutia category and the rest
belonged to the OBC. The survey report shows that in Damthang
constituency the majority belong to the MBC category.

Occupation and Income

As mentioned earlier South district falls under the rural area which
means most of the people are agriculturalists. It is found that out
of 100 persons 60 are agriculturalists/farmers cultivating paddy,
maize, millets, pulses, cardamom, ginger and vegetables. The
remaining 40 are government servants, private employees and
landless labourers. The average income of the rural people ranges
from 3000-10000 per month and those of employees begin from
Rs 6000 per month and above. In this part of the state there are
also people working on muster roll (temporary basis) with their
monthly income (salary) ranging from Rs 3000 per month and
above. 80

Out of a total 140 surveyed population 80 were found to be

agricultural holders who cultivate or who are engaged in different
agricultural activities and their income ranges from Rs 2000-8000
per month. Their income increases slightly during the production
season. Around 25 persons surveyed were employees, in both
government and private institutions whose income ranged from Rs
2500 and above. Around 2% of the population surveyed run small
shops in the villages itself.

80
The people working in muster roll are government servants but in temporary
basis.

Page)246
 Land Holders and Cultivators

Being a rural area most of the people are land holders owning
large, medium, semi medium and small land holdings. South
district stands second among all four districts of the state in terms
of total number of cultivators. There are a total 29,177 cultivators,
29,176 in the rural areas and one (1) in the urban area. Namchi
had 18,484 cultivators and 1,325 agricultural labourers. It means
that in this constituency marginal and small farmers form the bulk
of the total land holdings. The food grains produced in this
constituency are; wheat, maize, millet, pulses and vegetables.
Among the cash crops ginger and large cardamom are produced
here. Among the surveyed population 80 persons i.e., around 60°/o
of the people surveyed are engaged in agriculture, they either own
land or work as agricultural farmers.

Economic Background

The people in Damthang constituency are mostly rural people.

Most of the houses are old type houses built up with tin sheets. Tin
sheets are GCI sheets distributed by the government led by the
SDF. 81 The houses are mostly pucca houses. Few kutch a houses
are seen in some remote areas. Some houses are built with the
help of centrally sponsored scheme, Indira Housing Yojna Model
houses (worth Rs 3 lakhs) were also found in some villages.
These villages are called Model Villages. Model houses are a
cemented brick house with tin roofs, built for the poor people who
are homeless and landless. The people in this area use furniture
made with woods and bamboo's which are common and simple.
Pucca houses are also built mainly in Namchi and its surroundings
which fall within semi-urban areas. To improve the standard of

81
The SDF government distributed the GCI sheets as the party had promised to
give every people of Sikkim, Roti, Kapda and Makaan.

Page I 247
living of the people it is found out that the state government has
distributed GCI sheets (tin roofs), gas cylinders, blankets, and
pressure cookers, water tanks (Sintex), toilets, drinking water
provision etc. The people in this part of the state wear simple
clothes. In the survey conducted, the economic conditions of the
people are comparatively lower than the economic condition of the
people in Gangtok constituency as the people in this constituency
mostly depend on agriculture.

Religion

Hinduism is the common religion of the people in this

constituency. Approximately 75o/o people follow Hinduism, 15°/o
Buddhism and remaining are Christian and others. For the
propagation and practice of their faith temples are built in the
village. Churches belonging to various groups of Christianity are
built. The villages have Buddhist monasteries and mosques have
been maintained for the conduct of Islam in the area. As per the
survey conducted in this constituency, out of 100 persons, 75
people were Hindus, 15 were Buddhist, 7 were Christians and the
remaining 3 belonged to others category.

Languages

Nepali is the common language spoken in Damthang constituency.

Nepalese constitute around 75% of the population so Nepali is
spoken by almost all the people and all communities. Other
languages like Bhutia, Sherpa, Rai, Tamang, Umboo, and Lepcha
are also spoken but it is spoken within only their communities and
family members. The communities like Bhutia, Sherpa and Lepcha
give more importance in preserving their language and script.
Thus their own language is proudly spoken among their family
members and their community. Since Nepali is the main language

PageiZ48
spoken among the people in this area, it was found out that all the
people belonging to different communities speak the language
very clearly.

Organisation of the Party

In south district, Namchi which is the district headquarter also is

the District Working Committee of the party. Under the District
Working Committee, Constituency Level Committee is formed. The
members of the Constituency Level Committee are nominated by
the party president in consultation with the President of the
District Working Committee. The party also has block level
committees in each Gram Panchayat Unit. The party has well
established party office in each Gram Panchayat. All the meetings
of the Gram Panchayat's are held at the Gram Panchayat office
and the party meetings are held in the Party office in each block.
The party office is maintained with party flags, notice board, party
calender's and photograph of the party President.

Performance of the Party

The table below shows the performance of the SDF at the

Damthang constituency in the Assembly Elections of 1994, 1999
and 2004. The political parties which contested the General
election to Legislative Assembly in 1994 in this constituency were
SDF and it could secure 70.27 Ofo votes; Sikkim Sangram Parishad
which secured 26.33 Ofo of votes; National political parties like the
Indian National Congress which secured only 2.45 Ofo votes and
Independent candidates secured 0.95 Ofo votes. It shows that the
party was able to secure the majority of votes though it was its
first election in the state. In 1999 General Legislative Assembly
Election only three political parties contested the election, viz. the
Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP)

Pagej249
and the Indian National Congress (INC), in which the Sikkim
Democratic Front (SDF) won the election with 72.26 % of votes. In
the year 2004, the election results of Damthang constituency was
in favour of SDF as the election was uncontested in favour of
Pawan Chamling. No political parties contested the election from
this constituency.

TABLE: 9

Constituency: Damthang

ASSEMBLY ELECTION· 1994 ·PERFORMANCE OF THE PARTY (SDF)

Name of the Political Votes Percent%

secured
candidate Party

Pawan Chamling Sikkim Democratic 3904 70.27%

Front (SDF)

Kumar Subba Sikkim Sangram 1463 26.33%

Parishad (SSP)

Anand Lama Indian National 136 2.45%

Congress

Buddha Raj Rai IND 53 0.95%

Source. Elect1on CommJssJon of India, State Elections, 1994.

Pagel250
 TABLE: 10

ASSEMBLY ELECTION (1999) PERFORMANCE OF THE PARTY (SDF)

Name of the Political Votes secured Percent%

candidate Party
Pawan Chamling Sikkim Democratic 4952 72.26%
Front (SDFJ
Kamal Kumar Rai Sikkim Sangram 1866 27.23%
Parishad (SSP)
Hom Nath Rai Indian National 35 0.5%
Congress

Electors -8425, Voters-6937, Poll %-82.34.

Source: Election Commission of India, State Elections, 1999

The 2009 election was held after the delimitation of the

constituencies in 2009. The SDF won the election from this
constituency. Pawan Kumar Chamling, the Party president won the
election. The number of political parties contesting the election
was six. The following table shows the total number of political
parties participating in the Assembly election of 2009.

TABLE: 11
ASSEMBLY ELECTION (2009) PERFORMANCE OF THE PARTY (SDF)

Name of the Candidate Political Party

Pawan Cham ling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF)
Anjana Tamang NCP
Khush Bdr.Rai Indian National Congress
Arjun Kumar Rai SGPP
Basant Kr. Rai SJEP
Sheela Rai IND
.
Source: Electron Commrssron of Indra, State Electrons, 2009

Page I 251
Support Base of the Party

The question that arises is why do the people support the SDF?
Are they satisfied with the performance of the government under
the SDF? Why don't they support other political parties in the
State? To answer this question it is essential to discuss the history
of party competition in the constituency from 1994 onwards. The
party after its formation in 1993 contested the Assembly election
in 1994. The political parties that contested the election in the
constituency was; Sikkim Democratic Front, Sikkim Sangram
Parishad, Indian National Congress and several Independent
candidates. The candidates contesting the election were Pawan
Chamling from SDF, Kumar Subba from Sikkim Sangram Parishad,
Anand Lama from Indian National Congress and Buddha Raj Rai as
an independent candidate. The Sikkim Democratic Front won the
election in the constituency securing 3904 votes which was 70.27
percent votes. Sikkim Sangram Parishad candidate secured a total
of 1463 votes, the Indian National Congress candidate secured
163 votes and the independent candidate secured 63 votes.

Pawan Chamling was the party candidate contesting the

election for the Sikkim Democratic Front for the next term election
held in 1999. The other political parties contesting the election
were Sikkim Sangram Parishad and Indian National Congress.
Kamal Kumar Rai was the candidate from Sikkim Sangram
Parishad and Hom Nath Rai from the Indian National Congress.
The Sikkim Democratic Front candidate Pawan Chamling won the
election with a total of 5492 number of votes which was 72.26
percent of the votes. The Sikkim Sangram Parishad candidate
Kamal Kumar Rai secured 1866 votes and the Indian National
Congress candidate secured only 35 votes. In this constituency in
the Assembly election of 2004 not a single political parties

Pagej252
 contested the election against the SDF. This left the room for the
SDF candidate Pawan Chamling to be declared as uncontested
winner.

Now let us look at the supporters of the party in the

constituency. To answer the support base of the party in the
constituency 1 the supporters can be categorised into three groups-
Government Employees, rural people (layman) and
businessmen/self employed. 82 The government employees who
are regular don't have indirect benefits and their support is for
SDF. This section of people have benefitted indirectly as a member
of the society. The total number of government employees
surveyed was 40 in number, out of which 9 Government
Employees were working on temporary basis. The employees who
work on muster roll on a temporary basis have benefitted
personally from the government. The government has helped
these people by giving temporary jobs and by raising the daily
wage form Rs 50 to Rs 100 per day. Moreover the families have
benefitted with governmental schemes like distribution of grant in
aid of Rs 20,000 to needy families, distribution of GCI sheets, gas
cylinder, drinking water facilities 1 toilets etc. The Government
Employees working on temporary basis supported the party as
they directly benefitted from the government.

SDF being the only political party in the state which is

permanent in nature and character, the party gets more support
from the people than the support which the other political parties
get in the state. The party promises the people to ensure the
principles of liberty, equality and safeguard the rights of the
Sikkimese people. The government under the SDF rule has carried

82
Among the government employees there are government employees who are
regular government servant and employees working on Muster roll.

Pagel253
many developmental works in the state like transport and
communication, roads and bridges, eco-tourism, educational infra-
structure, public playgrounds, libraries, community halls etc. More
importantly, it has been able to maintain peace, order and security
in the state.

The support of the people of the constituency is mainly

towards the party and less to its candidates. They support and
vote for the candidate because he/she belongs to the party. The
employees both regular government employees and those working
on temporary basis support and are satisfied with the performance
of the party. The people support the party as they feel that the
government under the SDF has been able to fulfil the needs of the
common people and provided the people with various provisions
and benefits for the betterment of the people. The party has been
able to maintain communal harmony and equality among the
various castes and communities in the society. The government is
stable and safeguards the rights and privileges of the Sikkimese
people under (Act 371 (f)). The party gets the support of the
Government employees as they are satisfied with the government
on the exemption from Income Tax which the earlier gover:-nment
has Implemented in the State.

Common people think that the government has been able to

bring developmental changes in many sectors like education,
industry, tourism, health and agriculture. For the improvement in
the educational system large numbers of teachers were appointed
in the government schools and many schools were upgraded.
Health Centres and hospitals had been increased with facilities for
diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases. The government also
encouraged the traditional medicinal treatment in the state. Above

Page ]254
all, the SDF government has articulated and represented regional
identities and aspirations based on common language and culture.

Another category of population in this constituency is the

farmers. The farmers are of three types: the big land holders who
cultivate cash crops and other vegetables; the second type of
farmers is the marginal and small land holders who also cultivate
crops and vegetables but in small amount, and the third type of
farmers are the landless farmers, these farmers work for the other
land-holders and in return they get wages. We found that the big
landholders and the marginal and small landholders who are the
owners of the land and who cultivate various crops and vegetables
have benefited from the agricultural schemes of the government.
The government have provided them with facilities and
infrastructures for promoting the growth of horticulture, by helping
them with the market facilities and transport facilities for the sale
of their products like orange 1 ginger, larg~ cardamom, cereals and
seasonal vegetables. The people are given facilities like market
infrastructure, transport carriage distribution of variety of seeds
and seedlings, pesticides, tools and equipments and also training
to the farmers regarding the use of new technological equipments
and tools. Floriculture and horticulture is encouraged for the
creation of more employment opportunities in the state. The
government has been able to provide unemployment loans to the
unemployed youths to start their own business.

During the course of the survey it was found that the

landless farmers, labourers and above all the rural people are
satisfied with the performance of the government led by the SDF
for many reasons. Large number of households in the villages still
depends on the rivers and spring water. The government has
made provision of safe drinking water, improvement of the

Page]255
environment, sanitation and water tanks to each household those
who hold Sikkim subjects. The common rural people are happy
with the educational system in the state. The Government has
provided educational facilities to all, access to schools within
walking distance of each vi\lages 1 improvement in school
infrastructure, encouragement of education to the weaker sections
of society 1 widening scope of vocational education 1 establishment
of technical colleges, mid-day meals to the students up to the 5th
standard, distribution of free uniforms, books and free tuition fees
from primary level to class XII. The government has provided
training in the engineering and professional areas like computer
software and information technology 1 accountancy, chemistry,
physics, medicine, business management, rural development and
tourism, which has benefited the education pursuing students in
Sikkim. In the constituency at least twenty students are sponsored
by the government for the attainment of such trainings. The
students are getting an opportunity to study in the specified fields.
The government under the SDF has granted loans to the landless,
granted one acre land to build the house (model house) and
implemented the central schemes like Indira Housing Yojna,
financial and medical assistance in case of severe treatment of
diseases referred outside the state 1 GCI sheets 1 gas cylinder,
water tanks etc. RCC cemented footpaths in all the villages have
been constructed. All these schemes have given a better living to
the rural people. Among the surveyed persons 4 have benefitted
with the Indira Housing Yojna, 20 families were granted GCI
sheets, 20 families were provided with Cylinder gas stove and 8
families were given water tanks.

The next category of people surveyed is the businessmen,

government contractors, and the self employed people. Five
businessmen were surveyed and they were of the view that SDF is

Page\256
the only party in the state which can lead Sikkim to prosperity.
The business groups are allowed to carry their business without
any disturbances. The business group consists of mostly the
Marwaris and the Biharis who have been residing in Sikkim since
1975.The party has also assured the business group to be
exempted from paying the income tax.

The contractors are also satisfied with the government led

by the SDF and hence support the party. For the proper
distribution of the construction of works in the state, the
government has made the provision of granting contracts to the
contractors in their own districts and areas. The contractors are
satisfied that they are getting opportunities to work in their own
respective areas. One of the contractor responded that they have
to pay a percentage of the amount as party fund and some share
to the unemployed youth of the area, which he said is not a right
way of raising the party fund .
. •\.~·.

Unemployment is one of the serious problems that people face

in the state today. The SDF government to help and satisfy
unemployed groups has made the provision of granting loans to
begin their own business and be self employed and self-reliant and
not to depend only on government jobs for their livelihood.
Unemployment loans has been granted; Rs 50,000 to class xii
Pass and Rs 1 lakh to the graduates and Master Degree holders.
Three youths had received the loan from the government and has
set up their own business. Boys are exempted with 2 years
interest and there is an exemption of 3 years for girls. The
government has made the provision for providing driving course
for one month for boys, beauty parlour course of six months for
girls and computer training and capacity building courses. In each

Page I 257
gram panchayat ward twenty five men and twenty five women has
benefited from the above training courses.

Most of the people in Damthang constituency support the

SDF as it is the only permanent regional party in the state. It
means that the people do not support other political parties in the
state. Political parties like the Congress (I) under the leadership of
former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, Himali Rajya Parishad
under the leadership of A. D Subba, National political parties like
Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) are also active during the election time
which means it is not popular among the people, especially among
the rural masses. These political parties also lack the
organisational structure like the SDF in the rural areas. People
have trust and faith in the Sikkim Democratic Front which the
other political parties lack in Sikkim. The leaders of these political
parties are not favoured by the common people as they are visible
only during the election time and come for campaigning for their
party. The reason behind the success of SDF's retaining political
power in Sikkim for the last fourteen years is most probably due to
the fact that the party has been able to reach the rural people and
has helped the poor and needy people in all aspects of life. Party
meetings are held in different blocks where interactions between
the public and the leaders take place mc;>re frequently. The
common people can meet the Chief Minister once a week, i.e.
every Wednesday. One of the respondents from Kamrang met the
Chief Minister and was able to put forward his grievances to the
CM.

As mentioned earlier, Damthang constituency comprises of

people mostly belonging to the Most Backward Class (MBC).
Generally it is found that in politics people prefer leader from their
own caste and community. A farmer at Damthang told that he

Pagel258
supports the party because the leader belongs to MBC. So it can
be said that the people support the party because of the fact that
they belong to caste to which their leader belongs. It was also
found that even though the leader belongs to MBC category, but
people belonging to Scheduled caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other
Backward classes are also the supporters of the party as the party
has not neglected to include these groups in its schemes and
policies. The party has promised to include Tamang and Limboo in
the Scheduled Tribe's list in the 1994 election which was fulfilled in
2003. Likewise, the other caste groups are also included in the
category of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) like; Chettri, Bahun,
Newar and Most Backward Class (MBC) like; Rai, Gurung, Manger,
Bhujel, Thami. All these caste groups in Sikkim are put in the
reserved category. The economic policy of re-orienting and re-
structuring the economic sector has been well implemented by the
government. All these have contributed in the expansion of the
support base of the party.

Page ! 259
 CHAPTER VI
MOBILISATION OF THE SUPPORTER'S
AND THE ELECTORAL BASE OF THE SDF
IN THE STATE II

This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter which dealt

with the support base of the party in Damthang constituency. The
Chapter analyses the support base of the party in the remaining
three constituencies; Geyzing, Lachen Mangshila and Gangtok. The
chapter is divided into sections, with subsections. The subsections
of each of the sections covers the composition of population in the
constituency, occupation and income of the people 1 distribution of
land holders, farmers and cultivators, economic background,
religion and language, organisation of the party office,
performance of political parties in the constituency, and finally the
support base of the party in the constituencies that we have
surveyed. On the basis of these surveys in four different
constituencies a general observation on the support base of the
party is made in last section of the chapter.

SECTION I
Geyzing Constituency: West District

Section I of this Chapter deals with the support base of the party
in the Geyzing constituency of West District. Geyzing is the district
head quarter of the West district. The total population of the West
district constitutes of 1,23,147 persons, out of which 63,835 are
male and 59,359 are female. The West district records the least

Page \260
growth in the inter censual change in population. The two main
towns of West district are Nay a bazaar and Geyzing comprising of a
total population of 828 persons out of which 489 are males and
339 are females (Census of India, Provisional, 2001).

According to the notification number 8/RM and DD/P dated

13/08/07, No. 359 published by Rural Management and
Development Department, Government of Sikkim, the Geyzing
constituency comprises of 4 (four) Gram Panchayat Units: (a)
Geyzing Omchung Gram Panchayat, (b) Yangthang Gram
Panchayat Unit, (c) Lingchom- Tikjya Gram Panchayat Unit and (d)
Sardong- Lungzik Gram Panchayat Unit.

(a) Geyzing Omchung Gram Panchayat comprises of three

blocks-
;, Geyzing block covering middle lower Kyondsa
ii. Omchung block covering uppe,r Omchung and
.. -...~_ .·· · ......... "' ~ ·"~- ,_ ./' .

lower Omchung.
(b) Yangthang Gram Panchayat comprises of only one unit
covering Lhangjang, Toyang, and Laugang, Upper
Yangthang and Gyaba Naya Busty.
(c) Lingchom-Tikjya Gram Panchayat comprises of two
blocks-
;, Lingchom block covering Upper Lingchom, Middle
Lingchom and Lower Lingchom.
ii. Tikjya block covering Lower Tikjya and Upper
Tikjya (Sang Choling Gumpa)
(d) Sardong- Lungzink Gram Panchayat consists of two
blocks-
i. Sardong block covering Lower Sardong, Upper
Sardong and Sardung

Page[261
 ii. Lungzik block covering Lower Lungzik and Upper
Lungzik.

Composition of Population

Looking at the distribution of caste and communities, Geyzing

consists of a majority of Limboo's followed by Bhutia's, Chettri's,
Bahun's (Sharmas), Scheduled Caste's mainly Sunwar's and other
communities like Rai's and Gurung's. Under the Geyzing Omchung
Gram Panchayat, Geyzing (middle and lower) and Omchung
comprise of mostly chettri's and Bahun's (Sharmas) and Langang's
consists of mostly Bhutia's followed by Limboo's. Guruthan
comprises mostly of the Gurung community. Lingchum- Tikjya
Gram Panchayat is the Unit which comprises 90% of Limboo's.
Sardong- Lingzik Gram Panchayat consists of Sardong (upper and
lower) comprises of Rai in Sardong, and Subba's (Limboo's) and
Gurung's in Upper and Lower Sardong. Lungzik (lower and upper)
consists of Umboo's and Chettri's and Bahun's. Geyzing as one of
the town of West district mostly comprises of Bhutia's and general
class of Bihari's and Marwari's who have settled in Geyzing as
businessmen and are voters of Sikkim. This general class i.e.
Bihari's and Marwari's have settled in the town and semi-urban
areas. They comprise of 8-10% of the population approximately.

In terms of voters, the West district has a total number of

55,278 voters, out of which 33,512 are male and 32,556 are
female voters. The total revenue blocks in West district is 121
which is also considered as total number of village blocks which is
an ultimate unit area in which the country is divided for the
purpose of collecting revenues. Geyzing constituency has a total
number of of 70 revenue blocks.

Page\262
Occupation and Income of the People

Geyzing is a rural constituency except for the two towns -Geyzing

and Nayabazar. Geyzing comprises of a total 828 persons and
Nayabazar with total 996 persons respectively (Census of India,
Sikkim Provisional, 2001). The other parts of the constituency
purely fall under rural area with agricultural land. The main
occupation of the populace is agriculture. And the people are
agriculturalists. The main crop cultivation is paddy {rice), maize,
millets, cereals, oranges, ginger, vegetables and to some extent
cultivation of large cardamom. The farmers who own large land
holdings cultivate Ginger and large Cardamom in large quantities
which is the main cash crop in Sikkim. It was found out that out of
the 100 persons surveyed 20 are employees and the rest are
agriculturists. Thus, agriculture is the main source of income of
the people. Some people are engaged in self-employed activities
like; poultry farming, piggery etc. The average income of the rural
people ranges from Rs 2000 to Rs 8000 per month.· The average
income of the employees ranges from Rs 3000 and above. It is
also noted that the employees getting Rs 3000 per month are the
people working in muster roll basis which is purely temporary.

Distribution of Land Holders, Farmers and

Cultivators

District wise, west district constitutes the highest number of

cultivators and agricultural farmers. The total agricultural farmer's
in Geyzlng itself is 15,782 out of which 15778 are in the rural
areas and 4 in the urban areas. The total number of agricultural
labourers is 1837, all in the rural areas whereas in the urban areas
the number of agricultural labourers is zero. In this constituency
medium and small land holders form the bulk of the total land

Page I 263
holdings. Approximately 35-38% are big land holders. About 10
percent are Kutiyadars; 83 landless farmers who cultivate the land
of big land holders and pay according to the agreement made
between the land holders and the Kutiyadars. Out of a total 225
surveyed people 105 are found to be land holders and cultivators.
Some of these land holders are also employees. About 71 are
farmers holding small area of land whose main occupation is
agriculture. About 15 percent in this constituency were Kutiyadars.

Economic Background

The people in this constituency are basically engaged in

agricultural activities like cultivation of crops like paddy, oranges,
ginger etc, so the economic activity of the people is agriculture
based. 84 Among the surveyed population out of 225 around 190
are engaged in agriculture, i.e., 84°/o. The houses in the remote
areas are built with straw, bamboo splits and mud. But now the
condition has improved and now it has been replaced by a tin-roof
and bamboo splits. In the rural and semi-urban areas the houses
are still kutcha built with wooden planks and tin roofs (GCI sheets)
distributed by the SDF government. In the urban areas and town
areas the houses are mostly RCC (cemented) buildings which are
pucca houses. These pucca houses are also seen in the road side
areas. The houses consist of more than three rooms depending
upon their economic condition. The furniture is mostly wooden.

Religion and Language

In this constituency Limboo's are the dominant population followed

by Bhutia's and the general classes like Chettri, Bahun and to

83 Kutiyadars are usually the Landless people who are mostly non- Sikkimese
people.
84
As per the Planning Commission Report and the State Bureau Statistics and
Economics in 1995, about 71 percent of the population living below poverty line
are mostly the poor farmers and landless labourers.

Pagel264
some extent Pradhan's. The Bhutia's follow Buddhism and the
general class are mostly Hindus. Limboo's are one of the ethnic
groups of Sikkim and have a distinct religion of their own which is
known as "YUMA SAMYO". They believe that God is Almighty and a
85
benevolent deity who does good for the people. The common
language spoken by all communities is Nepali. Bhutia's and
Limboo's communicate in their own language amongst their
communities.

Organisation of the Party Office

Geyzing has a District Working Committee of the party. Under this

committee, a constituency level committee is formed. The
members are nominated by the party President in consultation
with the President of the District Working Committee. The
constituency level committee works under the District Level
Committee. Party office is established-in·,each Gram panehayat
which is mostly in rented buildings. The Office is well maintained
and the party members are nominated to look after the office. The
party office is maintained with party flags, boards, party
calendars, photographs of the party president and party weekly
and monthly magazines. Once a month a party meeting is held
which is attended by active party supporters, panchayat's and
members of Cheli Morcha (women's wing) of the party.

Other political parties do not have a permanent party office

where the party members can meet and carry forward party
activities. Temporary party offices are maintained only during the
time of the election. Sikkim Democratic Front is the only party in
the state which has a permanent party office with nominated

85
YUMA SAMYO {YUMANISM) of Umboo community has its own way of
performing rituals, healing diseases and illness and preventing befalling
misfortunes (Subba, 1999).

Pagel265
members who are given honorarium for the service they render
towards the party. Block Level office at Middle Gayzing, Omchung
and Legshep is maintained which consists of nominated party
members. This Block Level committee has the following office
bearers;

1. President - 1

2. Vice President -2

3 . Secretary -2

4. Joint Secretary -4

5. Treasurer -1

6. Executive Members -20

This Block level committee works under the District Level

committee. All the works and functions of this committee are
coordinated by the District level Committee.

Performance of Political Parties in the Constituency

In the 1994 General Election to the Legislative Assembly in the

state three National political parties, viz. Bharatiya Janta Party
(BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Indian National
Congress (INC), and State parties like; Revolutionary Socialist
Party (RSP), Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP), registered
(unrecognised) party Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and
independent parties participated in the elections. Amongst the
National political parties; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested
three seats but won no seats; CPM contested two seats and won
no seats and INC contested thirty one (31) seats and won only two
(2) seats. Amongst the state parties; Revolutionary Socialist Party
(RSP) contested eleven (11) seats but won no seat; Sikkim

Page)266
Ssngram Parishad (SSP) contested thirty one (31) seats and won
ten (10) seats. Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) contested thirty
two (32) seats and won Nineteen (19) seats. 76 independent
candidates contested the elections and out of a total 76 only one
independent candidate won the election.

Now coming to the Gayzing constituency the parties

contesting the election were; SDF, SSP, Indian National Congress
(INC) and Independents. The total number of voter's was 4642
and the valid votes were 4562. The result of the party went in
favour of the SDF with 2893 votes which was 51.2%, SSP secured
1412 votes which was 25.02%, Indian National Congress (INC)
secured 930 votes which was 16.48 % and three independents
secured a total of 408 votes.

Table: 1

Table below shows the performance of the party in the 1994 Legislative
Assembly Election 1994

Name of the candidate Sex Political Party Votes %of

secured votes
Dal Bahadur Gurung M Sikkim 2893 51.2%
Democratic
Front
Dal Bahadur Karki M Sikkim Sangram 1412 25.02%
Parishad
Bhim Narayan Tewari M Indian National 930 16.48%
Conaress
Nar Bahadur Dahal M IND 319 5.65%

Devi Prasad Chetri M IND 80 1.42%

Bhagirath Gautam M IND 9 0.16%

. .
Source: Electron Commrss1on of Ind1a-State Election, 1994 to the
Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

In the General Election to the Legislative Assembly 1999 the

political parties that contested the election in this constituency

Pagcl267
were Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Sikkim Sangram Parishad
(SSP), and the Indian National Congress (INC). Sher Bahadur
Subedi from Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) won the election with
3316 votes which was 54.57% out of a total 6249 casts. Pushpak
Ram Subba from SSP secured 2504 votes, i.e., 41.20% and Man
Bahadur Daha\ secured 257 votes, i.e., 4.23°/o.

Table: 2

Assembly Election Result -1999

%of
Votes
Name of the candidate Name of the party votes
secured
secured

Sher Bahadur Subedi Sikkim 3316 54.57%

Democratic Front

Pushpa Raj Subba Sikkim Sangram 2504 41.20%

Parishad

Man Bahadur Dahal Indian National 257 4.23%

Congress

Source: Election Commission of India -State Election, 1999 to the

Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

In the General election to the Legislative Assembly 2004 the

Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Indian National Congress (INC)
and Independent candidates contested the elections in this
constituency. Sikkim Sangram Parishad did not contest the
election as it got merged with the Indian National Congress. The
election was swept by the SDF candidate Sher Bahadur Subedi
who secured 4227 votes. The INC candidate Dal Bahadur Gurung
secured 2410 votes, and the independent candidates Chandra
Bahadur Katwal secured 64 votes and Dhan Bahadur Gurung
secured only 69 votes.

Page\268
 Table: 3

Result of the Assembly Election 2004

Name of the party Name of the candidate No. of votes

secured

Indian National Dal Bahadur Gurung 2410

Congress

Sikkim Democratic Front Sher Bahadur Gurung 4227

IND ChandraBahadur Katwal 64

IND Dhan Bahadur Gurung 69

. . . .
Source: Election CommiSSIOn of Ind1a-State Elect1on, 2004 to the
Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

In the Assembly election of 2009 the political parties participating

in this constituency were four in number. Sikkim Himali Rajya
Parishad and Sikkim Gorkha Peoples' Party entered the poll for the
first time in the election. The results of the elections show that
Man Bahadur Dahal from the SDF won the election.

Table: 4

Assembly Election 2009

Name of the party Name of the candidate

Indian National Congress Youa Raj Rai

Sikkim Democratic Front Man Bahadur Dahal

SHRP Laxmi Prasad Tiwari

SGPP Yam Lall Dangal

Source. Electton CommiSSion of Ind1a-State Elect1on, 2009 to the
Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

Pa ge I 269
Support Base of the Party

The Sikkim Democratic Front has been successful in winning the

assembly election in the state for four consecutive years, 1994,
1999, 2004 and 2009. For the people of this constituency it is the
only stable party which has brought overall development of the
state. During our survey we found that the party has provided
better living and facilities to the rural people than the former
government. The party which formed the government today has a
good vision of making Sikkim a "New Sikkim".

P. L Subba 1 one of the respondents, who is also a first class

government contractor1 a member in Constituency Level
Committee (CLC) of Sikkim Democratic Front Youth, Convenor of
West district is of the opinion that the promises of the party is
being implemented. The government under the SDF is always
working for the benefit and upliftment of the weaker sections of
the society. It works in a democratic way and has been able to
integrate different communities of the society. The support is for
the party and the party President for his good visions towards the
state. People have benefitted personally and socially from the SDF
led government. To him people have morally, socially,
educationally, economically and politically benefitted from the
government. The government claims that it has been able to
maintain peace and harmony in the state. Government aids to
maintain greenhouse, organic manure pit in horticulture and
agricultural sector, rural housing scheme, free education up to
primary level, free school uniforms, GCI sheets (tin roofs), old age
pension scheme, unemployment loans, all these have changed the
face of the state from good to better. The people in general are
satisfied and support the party for supporting the people and
making their life easier and self-reliant. Upliftment of women is

Pagel270
 encouraged by the government, 40°/o seats is reserved for women
in Panchayati Raj Institutions. Women are given priority in all the
fields. The government promised the expansion of tourism for
generating employment facilities and opportunities for the
educated unemployed youth. Decentralisation of power is
implemented which reflects implantation of democracy in the
state.

A party activist, a CLC member of the party and a contractor

whose income is 5000-8000 per month supports the party because
the aims and objectives of the party is good. To him the society
has benefited from the SDF led government. The general people
mainly the farmers, agricultural labourers, cultivators support the
party. The farmer's have benefited with agricultural aids and
facilities. The daily wage earners have benefited as the daily wage
has been raised from Rs 50 per day to Rs 100 per day. The party
supporters mainly the party activists help the party during the
election in holding party meetings and campaigning for the
candidates during the election.

Among the surveyed households in all the four Gram Panchayat

units, people directly support the party. Out of 100 respondents
seven respondents were reluctant in supporting the party as they
are not satisfied with their leaders 86 The leaders meet them only
during elections who promise them many things like giving
employment to one member in each household etc. but never
keep their promise.

The other political parties in the constituency contesting

elections are not supported by the majority of the people. They do
not have a party office and party meetings are rarely held to share
the ideas and aims of the party with the people. The people of
86
The seven respondent are Employees of the constituency.

Page I 271
Sikkim believe that the SDF is the only political party which can
bring development in the state. The people had similar faith in the
SSP earlier, it had assured the people that it would establish real
democracy and safeguard the rights of the people. But
unfortunately the faith of the people was crushed by Bhandari's
autocratic rule. But the people now have the same faith and hope
in Sikkim Democratic Front that it would take Sikkim into the new
height of prosperity. The other political parties play an opportunist
game during elections and disappear after the election is over
hence these parties do not have future in the state.

SECTION- II
Lachen Mangshila Constituency in North District

The North district has four constituencies, Djongu, Lachen

Mangshila, Kabi Tingda and Rakdong Tintek. All the four
constituencies are ST constituencies (reserved for the Scheduled
Tribes). North district is predominantly inhabited by Bhutia's and
Lepcha's (Subba, 2008). Other communities also reside in this part
of the state but the majority belong to Bhutia and the Lepcha
communities. The highest concentration of Bhutia population is in
the Lachen Mangshila and Kabi Tingda constituencies in north
Sikkim. 87 The scheduled castes constitute only 288 persons. The
total population of North district is 41,023, out of which 23,410
are male and 17,613 are females. The Scheduled Tribe (ST)
population is highest in the North with 55.38%.

87
According to voter list of Election Commissioner of Sikkim, the Bhutia population in Sikkim was
74,164 of the total popu\ation.in 1891 during the Chogyal period Bhutia had the second highest
population next to the lepchas, but i 2004 it was reduced to the third highest population amongst
the communities of Sikkim. The first is Khambu Rai's, the second is the Chettries. The Lepchas who
are the original inhbitants of Sikkim are reduced to the sixth position with only 8.16% of population.

Page]272
 North district has only one town, Mangan with a total
population of 1,248 persons, out of which 768 are male and 480
are females. It is the least populated district due to the high
altitude and topography and hostile geographical conditions. The
north district has a total of 53 Revenue Blocks. The total number
of voter's is 18,404, out of which 9061 are male which is 49.23%
and 9,343 which is 50.73% are females. It is the only district in
the state where the female voter's percentage is higher than the
male voter's (Government of Sikkim, Election Department, 1999).

Lachen Mangshila constituency comprises of seven (7) Gram

Panchayat Units.

a) Ramthang Tangyat Gram Panchayat

b) Namok Sheyam Gram Panchayat
c) Tingchim Mangshila Gram Panchayat
d) Seutam Gram Panchayat
e) Toong Naga Gram Panchayat
f) Tshungthang Gram Panchayat

a) Ramthang Tangyat am Panchayat Unit constitutes of two

blocks:
i. Ramthang Block covers Ramthang Khyongu,
Ramthang Phyagu and Ramthang Gongkha.
ii. Tangyek Block covers Tangyek and Lungchok
Saugam.

b) Namok Sheyam Gram Panchayt Unit constitutes two

blocks:
i. Sheyam block covers Sheyam, Deythang Tikpu.
ii. Namok block covers Namok and Rabi-Chongthang.

Page\273
c) Tingchim Mangshila Gram Panchayat Unit constitutes
three blocks:
i. Upper Mangshila blocks covering Tingzey and
Ralak.
ii. Lower Mangshila block covers Lower Jhusing,
Upper Jhusing and Tibuk.
iii. Tingchim block covers Upper Tingchim and Lower
Tingchim.

d) Ringchim Nampatam Gram Panchayat Unit Constitutes

three blocks:
i. Nampatam block covers Nampatam and Kalow.
ii. Ringchim block covers Ringchim. (Ringchim
Rikzing Choling Gumpa).
iii. Singhik block covers Upper Singhik, Maling and
Lower Singhik.

e) Sentam Gram Panchayat Unit constitutes three blocks:

i. Pakshep block covering Pakshep.
ii. Kazar block covering Kazor.
iii. Seutam block covering Seutam (Seutam Thisung
Gumpa), Bhi-Tingbook and Lingding Ringdong.

f) Toong- Naga Gram Panchayt Unit constitutes four

blocks:
i. Singchit block covers Khimrong (Singchit Madak
Gumpa), Naday and Manu!.
ii. Meyong block covers Meyong.
iii. Naga Manger block covers Reland, Naga and
Namgor.
iv. Toong block covers Toong.

Page I 274
 g) Tshungthang Gram Panchayat Unit constitutes of
Mangshila Tshungthang block covering Teng Pegong
Choten, Tshungthang and Bop which now comes under
Lachen jurisdiction.

Distribution of Population

According to the survey conducted in the Lachen-Mangshila in the

month of June, 2008, it was found that Lachen and Lachung is
totally a Bhutia dominated area. Mangshila is the area dominated
by the Subba community. Rangthang Tangyat Gram Panchayat is
also dominated by Bhutia's. The Gram Panchayats like Namok
Sheyam, Toon-Naga, Tshungthang are totally dominated by the
Bhutia's. In Mangan, along with the other communities the market
is dominated by the Bihari's and Marwari's. 88 Some Muslim
population who are usually the small businessmen and daily wage
earning labourer are also the residents of Mangan.

Occupation and Income

The main occupation in this region is agriculture. The Bhutia's

mostly depend on agriculture. Their agricultural activities include
dairy farming, pastoralism and cultivation of vegetables and cash
crops like Cardamom. In summer people go to higher altitude to
graze the animals where the land is covered with grass and stay
there till the snow falls. When winter starts they come down to the
lower altitude with their animals and practice cultivation mainly for
potato, wheat, barley, large cardamom and cabbage. In this
constituency there are some servicemen but agriculture is the
main source of income of the people in this constituency. The

83
The Bihari's and the Marwari's have settled there and run many Grocery shops
and other shops.

Pagej275
climatic condition of this part is suitable for the cultivation of cash
crop like large cardamom. Almost all the household own
cultivatable land. But agricultural production is less as compared
to other parts of the state due to unsuitable climate conditions and
mountainous region.

The main source of income of the people is agricultural

activities and the income ranges from Rs 3000-12,000 per month.
During the harvest season of large Cardamom the income goes
slightly higher, that is it ranges from Rs 3000 to Rs 50,000 per
month. About 25% of the surveyed population are government
employees whose income ranges from Rs. 3000-15000 per month.
According to the survey conducted in this constituency it is found
that about 80% of the population depend upon agriculture for their
source of income.

Distribution of Cultivators and Agricultural F.ai'JJI.ers

As mentioned above North district has a total number of 6,198

cultivators, 6,193 in the rural areas and five (5) in the urban
areas. The total number of agricultural labourers is 1,992 in the
rural areas and 11 in the urban areas. The constituency has large
land holdings where large Cardamom is cultivated. Large part of
land holdings are non-cultivated lands covered with forests. Unlike
in Geyzing constituency Kutiyadars (one who cultivate the land for
the land owners) are absent in the North district. The land is
cultivated by the land owners themselves.

Tshungthang which comes under the Lachen-Mangshila

constituency has a total 800 cultivators and 190 agricultural
labourers. Mangan has a total 5,398 cultivators and 1,813
agricultural labourers (Statistical Report, Govt. of Sikkim, 2002).
As mentioned above about 80% of the population is engaged in

Page]276
agriculture. Amongst the total 110 surveyed people about 75 are
found to be the land owners and cultivators, and about 50 are
employees too. 25-30 persons are agricultural farmers possessing
very little land.

Economic Background

The Bhutia's of this region own landholdings; big, medium and of

small size. The living style of the Bhutia's is different from that of
other communities in the state. Though a small section of the
Bhutia's are employees working in both government and private
sectors, the bulk of the population depend on agriculture for
income and livelihood. The houses are mainly two storied buildings
with cement blocks and wooden planks and tin roofs (GCI sheets).
The structure of the house of the people were constructed in a
typical Bhutia style, two storied house built with cemented blocks
and sometimes wooden planks are used to support the roof. The
roof is made up of tin sheets and in the interior part of the
constituencies the people still use straw as roof. About 20 houses
were cemented modern type houses. The water and sanitation in
each house was properly maintained as the government under
Sikkim Democratic Front has provided them with resources under
various schemes. The government implemented both central and
state schemes like Indira Housing Yojna, disbursement of Housing
loans, unemployed loans, training and distribution of High Yielding
Variety Seeds and fertilizers etc. The majority of the households
still rely on wood for cooking purposes though the government had
made the provision of distributing gas stoves with cylinders to the
villagers.

Lachen and Lachung being the tourist spot and Tshungthang

is in the midway to Lachen and Lachung many cemented bricks
buildings are seen on roadsides. Hotels, guest houses and tourist

Pagel277
lodges are the main source of income of the people of this place.
These hotels and shops are mostly owned by the local people. Out
of ten only two are owned by other people who are not originally
local. Tshungthang the mid-point of Lachung and Lachen has
contributed to urban development with job opportunities, business
and education. In the rural areas the houses are mostly kutcha
houses build up with wooden planks. The furniture includes locally
weaved carpets made out of yak wool and fur. The dress worn is
the traditional Bhutia dress by both men and women.

Religion and Language

The population of Lachen-Mangshila constituency is mainly

Buddhist. 60.20% of population follow Buddhism in the North
district. 89 The people of north Sikkim basically follow the religious
tradition of worshipping Buddha and the guardian deities, including
local deities, family deities. These deities are worshipped in the
traditional temple called Gumpa (monastery). Most villages have
their own Gumpa. Grand prayer in the Gumpa are organised on
certain occasions and festivals. 90

Among the surveyed population 104 are Buddhist by faith, 5

Hindu and one Christian from Mangan. Prayer services are
conducted in each household once a year for peaceful and
prosperous life. In each Buddhist house a separate prayer room is
allocated. Besides Buddhism, there are few Hindus and Christian
families mainly in Tshungthang and Mangan. But these people are
not originally from the place; they have come from other places
and settled there. Bhutia is the common language spoken amongst

89 The introduction of Buddhism can be traced o the establishment of a political

institution in Sikkim in the seventeenth century. Three monks from Tibet came
to Sikkim and propagated Buddhism and built monasteries in Sikkim.
90
The lamas (Buddhist Monks) perform all the religious rituals and ceremonies
in the Gumpa.

PageiZ78
the Bhutia community. 91 Since other communities also reside side
by side, apart from Bhutia, Nepali is a commonly spoken language
by all the communities.

Performance of the Party in the Constituency

Since the formation of the SDF in 1993 as a regional political party

in the state it has been contesting election in the Lachen-
Mangshila constituency in all the three Assembly Elections of
1994, 1999 and 2004. The candidate of SDF belonging to
Scheduled Tribe, the political parties like the Indian National
Congress, Sikkim Sangram Parishad, and Independent candidates
contested the election but the result went in favour of the SDF
candidate. In 1994 the party candidate Hissey Lachungpa could
secure 2316 votes. The other political party contesting was the
Indian National Congress which secured only 1420 votes. In the
1999 Assembly election Hissey Lachungpa from SDF won the
election with a total 3772 votes, i.e.59.55%. Sikkim Sangram
Parishad candidate Nedup Tshering Lachenpa secured 2540 votes
and the independent candidate Topden Lepcha secured only 22
votes. Again in the 2004 Assembly Election the same SDF
candidate Hissey Lachungpa won the election with a total 4906
vOtes. The other candidate was Anil Lachenpa from the Indian
National Congress. In 2009 the SDF candidate was Tshering
Wangdhi Lepcha.

The table below shows the performance of the political parties

in the three legislative Assembly elections, 1994, 1999 and 2004
in Sikkim.

91
Bhutia is the oldest language spoken in ancient times by the 'Bhompu' or the 'Bon'
people. The language was not in a written form. The language is different from Tibetan
language (Subba, 2008).

Pagel279
 Table: 5

RESULTS OF ASSEMBLY ELECTION 1994

Name of the party Name of the candidate Total votes

secured
Sikkim Democratic Hissey Lachungpa 2316
Front

Indian National Tseten Lepcha 1420

Congress
.
Source: Source: Electton Commtsston of Indta -State Electton, 1994 to
the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim.

Table: 6

ASSEMBLY ELECTION 1999

Name of the Name of the Total votes Votes secured

Party candidate secured in%

Sikkim Hissey Lachungpa 3772 59.55%

Democratic
Front

Indian National Topden Lepcha 22 0.35%

Congress

Sikkim Sangram Nedup Tshering 2540 40.10%

Parishad Lachenpa
Total electors: 7378.
Total voters : 64 77
Poll% : 87.79%
Source: Election Commission of India -State Election, 1999 to the Legislative
Assembly of Sikkim.

Page 1280
 Table: 7

ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2004

Name of the party Name of the candidate Total votes

secured

Sikkim Democratic Hissey Lachungpa 4906

Front

Indian National Anil Lachenpa 1587

Congress
- CommiSSIOn of Ind1a-State Elect1on, 2004 to
Source: Source: Election
the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

The Lachen Manshila constituency has been renamed as Lachen-

Mangan as per the delimitation of the constituencies in 2009. A
new candidate from the SDF, Tshering Wangdi Lepcha won the
election with the opposition parties like INC and SHRP [(Sikkim
Himali Rajya Parishad).] Like in the Geyzing constituency SHRP
entered the election for the first time.

Table: 8

ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2009

Name of the party Name of the candidate
Sikkim Democratic Tshering Wangdi Lepcha
Front
Indian National Anil Lachenpa
Congress
Sikkim Himali Rajya Chewang Jigmee Lepcha
Pari shad

Source: Source: Election Commission of India-State Election, 2004 to

the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

Pagel281
Support Base of the Party

The Lachen Mangshila constituency has a different political history

than the state. The contesting candidates in this area usually
belong to ST category. The people in this area favour a ST
candidate since the candidate belong to their own caste and
community. This constituency has been reserved for B.L seat (B-
Bhutia, L-Lepcha). The people of this area vote and support their
leaders as the candidate belongs to their own community and
speaks in their own Sikkimese language, i.e. Bhutia. It is evident
from this that in all the three General election to the Legislative
Assembly of 1994, 1999 and 2004, the people voted for Hissey
Lachungpa who belongs to the Bhutia community and is a resident
of Lachung which falls in Lachen-Mangshila constituency.

A 62 year old Bhutia farmer of Sokothang, Lachung

responded that he supports the party (SDF) not because the
leader is good but the party President Pawan Chamling is "Garib
ko Neta"- The leader of the poor. The leaders get people's support
only because the party is good. It means that the vote is for the
party and not the candidate of the area. From the survey it was
found that the people are not satisfied with their leaders. The
people expressed that the party leaders seldom come to the
villages and meet the villagers. Their visit to the rural area is more
during the election period and very less during other times. Many
things are promised on the eve of the election which is rarely
fulfilled after the election is over. The rural people have to travel a
day long journey of 5 to 6 hours to meet their leaders. The leaders
leave in capital and the people have difficulty in approaching them
to put forward their problems and grievances.

In Lachen and Lachung, a section of the employees are not

satisfied with the performance of the leaders. They come only

Page I 282
during the election time. The benefit is brought to the society
through the Dzumsa system (traditional panchayat system) which
is still prevalent in Lachen and Lachung of North Sikkim. It is a
unique institution of Democracy.

The Dzumsa is the traditional administrative system of the

92
village of Lachen and Lachung in north Sikkim. It was free from
central authority to follow rules applicable to other regions of
Sikkim. The Dzumsa is headed by village chief called the Pipon.
Dzumsa is a General Council of Lachenpa and Lachungpa villages,
directed by a group of people elected or designated by the
villagers depending on the period, to represent them and manage
village affairs. This council was officially recognised in 1985 and
continues to function till date. This council of representatives are
now known as the panchayat's composed of two Pipons, six
Gembos, two Tsipos. and two Gyapons. This council is responsible
for the application and respect of the community's law and
regulation and for the organisation of the main village events. It
organises the meetings of the village General Council. Dzumsa
functions as an effective local self-government for all purposes in
the villages (Sabatier, 2004). The head of Dzumsa (Pipon) has
enormous powers and functions. It works under the state
government.

A 54 year old party activist responded that he supports the

party as the SDF is the only people's party in Sikkim. The party
has supported the people through many schemes for development
like connection of Cemented footpaths in all the villages,
sanitation, Mukhiya Mantri Antyodaya Yojna (MMAY) Mukhiya
Mantri Khadya Suraksha Abhiyan, (MMKSA), Annapurna Scheme

92
This system of self-governance was initially established during the first half of
the 19th century in order to provide structure and cohesion for these societies
and their activities.

Pagel283
(AS) in the society. There are no other political party, which comes
in comparison with the SDF. Other political parties are not very
popular amongst the rural masses. The candidates of other
political parties who contest the election in this constituency do
not belong to the Lachen-Mangshila constituency, which is the
most important criteria for a candidate to contest the election in
this constituency. In Mangshila, the Subba community it was
found are the main supporters of the SDF.

Organisation of the Party

Lachen and Lachung have the traditional Dzumsa system. All party
meetings are held at Dzumsa office headed by the Pipon. In
Mangshila, the party has been able to establish a party office
functioning throughout the year. The party has District Level
Committee in North Sikkim. The headquarters of this committee is
at Mangan where the committee members are nominated by the
party President. Under the District Level Committee the party
works through Constituency level committee and Block level
committees. It is the Block level committee which carries the
proper functioning of the party at the villages. The members of
this committee frequently keep in touch with the people of the
area and act as a bridge between the people and the party. It was
found that the youth wing and the women's wing actively
participate in the activities of the party. They attend party
meetings and represent the area/constituency at the state level
meetings and party conferences.

Other political parties lack this kind of organisational

structure. Temporary party offices are opened during the election
time only for the purpose of interacting with the people for the
distribution of party pamphlets, batches, banners and election
manifestoes of the parties. These political parties fail to organise

Pagel284
public meetings at large. Their visit to the rural lot is not
convincing so the people fail to understand them. Distribution of
pamphlets and manifestoes is not enough to attract people's vote,
it is necessary to understand peoples mind and feel their heart.
Only the state unit of national political parties like the Indian
National Congress has district party offices where the President,
Vice President and other members are nominated by the state
party President.

SECTION -III
GANGTOK CONSTITUENCY-EAST DISTRICT

East district has the largest number of constituencies. There are

eleven in total; five Scheduled Tribe (ST) namely, Martam,
Rumtek, Assamlingjey, Ranka and Pathing constituencies. There is
one Scheduled Caste constituency (SC)-Khamdong constituency.
And the remaining five constituencies are general constituencies.
These are Central Pandam, Rhenock 1 Regu, Loosing Pachekhani
and Gangtok.

In the east district the survey was conducted in Gangtok

constituency in August, 2008. Gangtok is the largest populated
town in the state with 29152 persons, out of which 15815 are
male and 13345 are female. The other two towns are Singtam
with a population of 5431 and Rangpo with a population of 3724
respectively. The total number of revenue blocks in east district is
134; Gangtok has a total 87 revenue blocks. The total number of
voters is also the highest with 1,13,107 persons; 60260 are male
and 52847 are female voters.

Pagel285
 Distribution of Population

Gangtok is the constituency where the population belongs to

diverse castes and communities. These communities are from
within and outside the state. The major town area is dominated by
the general class group of Bihari's and Marwari's who are old
residents of Sikkim. Arithang, Sichey busty, Nam Nang and in
Development area the population is of varied types. There is no
fix or any particular community dominating the area. There are
people belonging to different communities and caste groups like
Pradhan, Chettri, Bahun, Rai, Manger, Tamang, Subba, Lepcha,
Bhutia and also Scheduled Caste groups. Market (bazaar) area is
dominated mostly by the general class like Marwari's, Bihari's and
some Bengali's as the business is carried by these groups only.
Bhutia's own some restaurants and hotels. Tibet road area which
also comes under urban area is resided by Bhutia's the Sikkimese
people. There are certain reasons for this. Firstly, it is the capital
and all the headquarters of different governmental departments
are located. Gangtok being the largest populated town in the
state, job opportunities and other facilities are more than the
other parts of the state. Secondly, there are a good number of
educational institutions both government and private in and
around Gangtok. In Gangtok the transport and communication is
more developed. Influx of immigrants from other parts of the state
like Calcutta, Siliguri, Derjeeling 1 Kalimpong 1 and Nepal is greater
than other parts of Sikkim. Lastly, Gangtok is the centre of
business and tourist attractions. There are a number of tourist
spots in and around Gangtok. 93

93
The development of eco-tourism in Sikkim is the key economic strategy of the
ruling SDF government.

Pagej286
Occupation and Income

The Majority of the population in Gangtok are employees, working

in both private and government firms and businessmen. The
employee group can be categorised into the following groups:

i. Gazetted class I employees

ii. Gazetted class II employees
iii. Office assistance
iv. Third grade workers
v. Fourth class workers

Business in Gangtok constituency is generally carried by the

general class of Bihari's and Marwari's. Only the bazaar area is
thickly populated and is an urban area. The surrounding areas are
rural with agricultural lands. The total cultivators in Gangtok are
15,523 1 out of which 15,494 are in rural areas and 29 are in urban
areas. There are a total 3,175 agricultural labourers, out of which
3,092 are in the rural areas and 83 in the urban areas (Population
census, 2001). The land holdings are mostly marginal, medium
land holdings.

The income of government employees ranges from Rs

3,000- 5, 00,000 per month. The income of the business groups
(both small and big businessmen) ranges from Rs 2,000- 1,00,000
and above per month. As per the survey report the income of the
employees in private firms varies from Rs 2,500 to Rs 25,000 per
month. Among the population surveyed 10 are 1st class Gazetted
officers whose income ranges from Rs 18000-40000 per month.
50 persons are grade III government employees whose income
ranges from Rs 7000-13000 per month. About 20 persons from
among the surveyed are working in private firms and private
institutions whose income range from Rs 2500- 8000 per month.

Pagel287
About 15 business persons were surveyed whose income range
from 5000 to 50,000 per month. The business group also includes
people owning small tiny shops.

Amongst the cultivators/farmers, Bahun's are mostly small

and marginal farmers. 94 Land is their major resource, owned and
controlled individually by them. Traditionally Bahuns are entrusted
with priesthood. The primary occupation is terrace cultivation and
horticulture crops, livestock rearing and other service. They have a
direct link with the market and depend on it for their daily needs.
They are also employed as school teachers, engineers, doctors,
government employees, and defence services etc. The cultivation
of vegetables, cabbage, potato, radish, cauliflower, maize, millets,
ginger, paddy and cardamom to some extent are the main
agricultural products. The income of agricultural cultivators and
labourers range between Rs 1000- 5000 per month. The
unemployed youths have started self-employment programmes
like poultry farming, fiSheries, cattle farming etc. from among the
surveyed population, 27 were agricultural land holders; both big
and small land holdings, whose income depended upon the
cultivation and production of agricultural products. There is no fix
income of this group.

Religion and Language

In Sikkim, especially in Gangtok diverse religion and faith started

visiting after 1975 when Sikkim became the 22"' state of India.
many religious Guru's started religious practices and religious
institutions such as Hindu Temples, Sikh Gurudwars, Churches,
Islam Masjids etc. The people are thus, mixed into a diverse form

94
The total number of cultivators in Gangtok is 15523, 15494 in the rural area
and 29 in the urban area. Total agricultural tabourers are 3175, out of which
3,092 in the rural areas and 83 in urban areas.

Page/288
of religious practices and faith. Hinduism remains the religion of
the majority followed by more than 60% of the population
followed by Buddhism and then Christianity and others. The
language commonly spoken is Nepali. The communities like
Bhutia, Lepcha, and Sherpa speak and communicate in their own
mother tongue among their community. English and Nepali are
the official languages of the State.

Economic background

Most of the areas of Gangtok constituency fall under the urban

area with big shops, hotels, and travel agencies. The living style
and pattern in this part is quite different from that of the rural part
of the constituency. The main town area is well maintained and
the houses are pucca houses. These houses are taken in rent by
various business groups. The surrounding areas are rural areas
where the main occupation is agriculture. There are people who
are employees in different private and public sectors. As compared
to other parts of Sikkim, Gangtok constituency is in a better
position in terms of economic development and growth. Most
houses are pucca houses, i.e. cemented buildings which is well
furnished. About 10% houses are kutcha, i.e. old style (type) of
house built with wood and tin roofs.

The living standard of the people in Gangtok, mainly in the

urban areas is quite high. Among the surveyed population, i. e.,
the economic condition of the employee group is quite sound.
Some of the employee group also own some shops and hotels.

Performance of the Party

The Sikkim Democratic Front contested the Assembly Election for

the first time in 1994. The party secured a total of 19 seats out of
32 in the General Assembly election. But most interestingly in

Page\289
Gangtok constituency the party lost the election. The winning
party was Sikkim Sangram Parishad with 2,798 votes. The total
number of candidates who contested the election were 11 (eleven)
male and 1 (one) female. Total number of electors was 7,945
(5,376 male and 4,569 female.

In this constituency, the party has failed to win the two

general elections of 1994 and 1999. The winning party is Sikkim
Sangram Parishad and the candidate was Narendra Kumar
Pradhan. But look at the overall performance of the party in the
general election, 1994, 1999 and 2004. The party has been able
to secure 19 out of 32 in 1994, 24 out of 32 in 1999 and 31 out of
32 in the 2004 Assembly Election. The tables below show the
performance of the party in the Gangtok constituency over the
years.

Table: 9

ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS: 1994

Name of Name of the candidate Total votes Votes secured

the party in%
secured

SSP Narendra Kumar Pradhan 2798 39.55%

INC Dilip Prasad Dhungel 2070 29.26%

SDF Sher Bdr. Subba 1253 17.71%

IND Bal Chand 617 8.72%

!ND Penza D. Namgyal 60 0.85%

!ND Krishna s. Basnett 55 0.78%

IND Gokul Singh Cintury 52 0.72%

BJP Kiran Chettri 46 0.65%

IND Prem Prakash Goyal 42 0.59%

IND L.B Pradhan 33 0.47%

Pagel290
 IND Norden Gyalpo Kalim 33 0.47%

IND Dhan Maya Giri 15 0.21%

Source: Source: ElectJon CommiSSion
.
of India -State Election, 1994 to
the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim.

Table: 10

ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS: 1999

Name of the Party Name of the Total Votes %

Candidate
Secured

Sikkim Democratic K.B Gurung 3835 43.52%

Front

Indian National Anand Lama 548 6.22%

Congress

CPM Bhumerlall Sirohiam 86 0.98%

IND Thenduo Dorjee 35 0.40%

Bhutia
.
Source: Source: Election CommiSSion of Ind1a -State Election, 1999
to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

In the 2004 Assembly Election a major shift in the party

candidates is seen. The earlier SSP candidate Narendra Kumar
Pradhan defected from the party and joined the SDF and contested
the election, and could also win the election. And the earlier party
President of the SSP Nar Bahadur Bhandari left his own party and
joined the state unit of the Indian National Congress and
contested the election as a INC candidate securing 2829 votes.

Pagej291
 Table: 11

ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS: 2004

Name of the Party Name of the Total votes

Candidate
Secured

Sikkim Democratic Narendra Kumar 5952

Front Pradhan

Indian National Nar Bahadur Bhandari 2829

Congress

Sikkim Sangram Devi Prasad Oahal 90

Pari shad

Sikkim Himali Rajya Bhi m Chettri 54

Paris had
Source: Source: Elect1on CommiSSIOn of Ind1a -State Elect1on, 2004 to
the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

Table: 12

ASSEMBLY ELECTION RESULTS: 2009

Name of the party Name of the candidate

Sikkim Democratic Front Dorjee Namgyal Bhutia

Indian National Congress Tshering Gyatso kaleon

SGPP Mingma Topden Sherpa

Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Uttam Lepcha

!ND Delay Namgyal Barfungpa

-
Source: Source: Election CommiSSIOn of Ind1a -State Election, 2009 to
the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim

Pag e I 292
Support Base of the Party

Gangtok is a general constituency with diverse caste and

communities who are engaged in different kind of occupations.
The candidate in this constituency who won the election in 1994,
1999 and 2004 belongs to the Nepali community. The support
base of the SDF is thus the Nepali community. Amongst the
Nepali's, Pradhan, Chettri and Bahun constitute the major support
base of the Party. The Tribal minority Bhutia and Lepcha,
supported the Sikkim Sangram Parishad in 1994 and 1999 General
Assembly election and Congress I in 2004. This is so because the
Party President of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad, Nar Bahadur
Bhandari joined the Congress (!) in the 2004 election. It is found
that respondents mainly from the employee group are not in close
contact with the leaders and the employees. The leaders seldom
visit them and this group hardly attend party meetings. This group
does not benefit directly from the government led by the SDF but
they are of the view that though the Party has not reached the
urban class, it has been able to reach the rural masses which
constitute 80% of the population.

A group of employees belonging to the Nepali community

mainly Chettri and Bahun support other political parties like the
Congress (I) under the former Chief Minister, Nar Bahadur
Bhandar. Thus, the support base of the Congress (!) is the upper
caste of Nepali community. SDF is usually seen as the party of the
OBC's because the party president belongs to the OBC category.
Among the Nepali community about 70% of the population belong
to the OBC. Thus, the support base of the SDF is the OBC group.

The rural masses are satisfied with the performance of the

government led by the Sikkim Democratic Front. There are other
political parties which contest elections and have support from

Page/293
some section of society however, they have failed to win any seat
in the election. The main factor behind their failure is that these
parties are active only during the election time and disappear after
the elections like mushrooms in rainy season. These parties lack
strong vision and policies like the Sikkim Democratic Front.

Party Office and Party Structure

Like in all constituencies, there is a party office at different blocks

and Gram panchayat units. The Head office of the party is situated
at Tadong, Gangtok. All party meetings and activities are carried
on from the head office. The Central Working Committee has the
responsibilities of formulating the party policies, rules and
regulations, membership of the party and office portfolios.

The block level committee's in the rural areas are created to

look after the working of the party for mass participation also
representing women participation. There are Youth Wing and Cheli
(women) Morcha to promote more participation of women and
youth in the party activities.

Sikkim Democratic Front has party offices in each Gram

Panchayat unit which is established in a rented house and
buildings. Public libraries are maintained by the party. These
libraries are small but the panchayats can utilise it for reference
works. The public hardly visit these libraries. Apart from Sikkim
Democratic Front, the state unit of the Congress I head office is at
Gangtok, Development area. All the party works are carried out at
the head office. Sikkim Gorkha Pranjatantrik (SGP) has it's
headquarter at Gangtok and also Sikkim National Congress Party
under the leadership. Ashok Chong also has its head office at
Gangtok. Sikkim National Congress Party has emerged as a
regional political party since the last election i.e. 2004 General

Page\294
Assembly election. Since then it has been acting as an opposition
to the ruling party.

Section IV
Party and the Panchayat Elections

In the earlier sections of the chapter we have focussed on the

electoral performance of the SDF in the Assembly constituencies
let us now turn to the performance of the party in the Panchayat
elections in brief in the state and then we arrive at a general
understanding of the support base of the party in the state. The
first panchayat election in Sikkim under the Sikkim Panchayat Act,
1993 was conducted in 1997.95

Since its formation in 1994, the SDF has consistently

stressed Qn the importance of fo_rming institutionalised
panchayat's in gram sabha's and at the Zilla level. Perhaps, this·ia •
the main reason why the party was determined to hold panchayat
elections on party basis for the first time in the state. The party
held a central committee meeting on 20th December, 2000. In the
meeting the Party President emphasized upon grassroots
consolidation of his party, increase in membership and village level
meetings and propagate the pro-people policies of the party at the
grass roots level.

To increase peoples' participation in the party meetings at

the village level, the party held panchayat elections on party basis
in 1997. The 1997 panchayat election was based on party lines for

95
In 1992, the constitution passed two Amendment Acts: Seventy Third and
Seventy fourth Amendment Acts which came into effect on 24th April 1993. The
Seventy Third Amendment Act provided guidelines for the states in drafting
their Panchayat Acts. The Seventy Fourth Act provided similar guidelines for
drafting the Municipal acts and constitution of the municipalities.

Pagej295
the first time in Sikkim. The old Panchayat's were dissolved and
fresh election was conducted. 96 The government decided to hold
Panchayat election based on political parties. Though there were
some objections by the opposition political parties, the conduct of
the election was successful. The panchayat's and parties finally
agreed with the government's decision of holding election on party
basis. 97

The party claimed that for the first time since Sikkim
became the 22"' state of Indian Union, the party has been able to
give respect to the contribution of the rural masses. Democracy
has been brought at the rural level and the Zilla Panchayat's are
invited to participate in the state level policy meeting. Under the
banner of the SDF government, State Planning Commission was
set up in the state and Cabinet Sub Committee report on
Decentralisation of powers was set up. The party for the first time
empowered the rural people with funds and powers to the
panchayat's right up to the gram panchayat level.

In the 1997 Panchayat election, the total number of Gram

Panchayat Units was 159, Panchayat Wards were 873 and 92
territorial Constituencies of Zilla Panchayat. The following table
shows the district wise distribution of Gram Panchayat Units,
Panchayat Wards and Territorial constituencies of Zilla Panchayat
in 1997 Panchayat election.

96
After the Amendment of the Panchayat Act, State Election Commission was
formed in 1997.
97
The panchayat's earlier had few functions and were not treated as the lowest
democratic body in the state. The panchayat's had very little participation in
implementing the programmes. The concerned department implemented all the
programmes and policies of the government.

Pagel296
 Table: 13

The following table shows the number of seats for the panchayat's in
1997

No. of Territorial
No. of Gram No. of Panchayat
District constituencies of the
Panchayats Wards
Zilla Panchayat
West 49 263 22
South 42 243 23
East 48 269 27
North 20* 98* 20*
Total 159 873 92
*Includes the two Dzumsas of Lachen and Lachung

Source: Rural Management and Development Department, Gangtok,

July, 2008.

In this term the panchayat's did not have much responsibilities

entrusted to it and merely functioned as implementing agencies,
primarily for id€ii'tification of beri.eficiaries for various departmental
programmes. Though on 27.3.98, the government had decided to
allocate 15 percent of each department's budget to the
Panchayat's but this was not implemented properly by all the
departments. The second panchayat election based on party basis
was held in October 2002. Delimitation of panchayat area was
conducted before this election. The number of seats in the Gram
Panchayat Unit, Panchayat Wards and Zilla Panchayat was
increased so as to give more participation of the people in decision
making.

The people are seen to be more interested in contesting the

panchayat election than before. More than this the people are
supporting the party so that they may be nominated as party
candidates in the panchayat election. In Sikkim, since 1997 the

Pagel297
panchayat election has been mostly won by the party candidates.
The candidates who contested the election as independents either
withdrew their nominations before the election or those who have
won the election as independent candidate joined the party after
the election. This is so as the panchayat's under the SDF
government are given more powers and responsibilities.

In the election manifesto of Panchayat election of 2002, the

Party promised to empower the rural masses in both instruments
of decentralisation and devolution of power. The party further
promised to give maxrmum funds to the rural areas and give the
administrative and financial powers to the rural masses to run all
the primary schools, health centres and other development
projects at the grassroots level.

The following table shows the increase in number of seats for the
panchayats, 2002.

Table: 14

No. of Territorial
No. of Gram No.of Panchayat constituencies of
District
Panchayats Wards the Zilla
Panchayat.
West 51 274 25
South 45 255 24
East 50 273 31
North 20* 103 20*
Total 166 905 100
*Includes the two Dzumsas of Lachen and Lachung.
Source: Rural Management and Development Department,Gangtok, July,
2008.

After the election there was decentralisation of powers and more

funds, functions and functionaries to the panchayat's. For rural

Pagel298
development 10% of the budget has been allotted to the
panchayat's. The Gram Panchayat's and Zilla Panchayat's received
Rs. 10 lakhs and Rs. 60 lakhs for the development works directly
to the Gram Panchayat's and Zilla Panchayat's. The Adhyakshas
and Upa- Adhykshas of Zilla Panchayat have been given the status
of Ministers of state and Deputy Minister, respectively. There has
been transfer of powers in 2003- 2004 and 2006-2007. Primary
schools, primary health centre, subsidiary health centreS1 VLO
centre, Library, community information centre, village tourism,
small scale irrigation projects, community building and ground
have been transferred to Panchayats units.

In the election manifesto of panchayat election 2002, the

party promised that all government decisions will be taken and
implemented after due consultation with the panchayat's. The
party wanted to introduce participatory approach in order to bring
the voice of the people into the mainstream. In every gram
panchayat and ward panchayat, the panchayat's was to be
empowered to decide on the plan as well as to implement and
maintain the plan. The party also promised the participation of
Zilla Panchayat's in the District Committees. This would enable
them to debate on the district plans and programs which directly
affect the people both at the district and wards.

The transfer of grants to the panchayat's provided them the

opportunity to decide their own priorities for development.
Meetings of gram sabha began to be held regularly to identify the
priorities of the village. The panchayat's are satisfied with the
performance of the government as many powers had been
transferred to them. 70% of the annual budget of the state has
been given to the panchayat's for rural development. Sikkim has a
total of 873 panchayat wards, out of which 850 panchayat wards

Pagel299
 are under the SDF. The state level panchayat meetings are held
where the panchayat's are made aware of their responsibilities and
functioning. 98 .

The main reason why the party introduced panchayat

election on party basis is to give opportunity to the villagers to
learn the lesson of election system and facilitate them to directly
elect their candidates of their choice at ground levei 99To
encourage the rural people's representatives to work for the
people panchayatshri awards are being given.

The party has been able win all the panchayat elections in
the state, though other political parties contest the elections. We
have found out in chapter V, in the support base of the party that
the other political parties in the state have weak link between the
rural people and the party. The party during the elections do not
address to the question of rural development or come up with a
popular slogan like the SDF does. The SDF, in order to restore
democracy came up with the slogan "Afnai gaon afai banaaon",
the people must decide how they would like their future to be
built.

In the context of participation of political parties in the

panchayat elections, the opposition parties in the state opposed
the party basis panchayat elections of 1997. In spite of this the
election was based on party lines. The next panchayat election
was held in October 2002. In this election all the seats went
uncontested in favour of the Sikkim Democratic Front. The other
political parties like Congress (I), Sikkim Sangram Parishad, and

98
First State level panchayat meeting was held in Namchi in June 1995
99
The system of panchayat election on party lines was initially not introduced in
the constitution of the panchayat act of 1992. But it was removed by an
Amendment Act before the panchayat election in 1997.

Page 1300
BJP did not field any candidate. The following table shows the
position of Panchayat elections in 2002.

Table: 15

Panchayat Election 2002: Gram Panchayat

Uncontested
District Contested seats Total
seats
West 33 241 274
South 78 177 255
East 138 131 269
North 22 79 101
Total 271 628 899
Source: The Glory of S1kklm, ed1ted by M.P Lama, 2003, p.24.

Table: 16

Panchayat Election 2002: Zilla Panchayat

Uncontested
District Contested seats Total
seats
West 3 22 25
South 12 12 24
East 20 11 31
North 7 11 18
Total 42 56 98
Source. The Glory
.
of SJkk1m, ed1ted by M.P Lama, 2003, p.24 .

The next election was held in October 2007. In this election the
total number of Gram Panchayat Units, Panchayat wards and
territorial constituencies of Zilla Panchayat has been changed as
the area and number of panchayat's has changed due to the
demarcation of the municipal areas.

Page[301
 Table: 17

Number of seats in the Panchyat election 2oo7

No. of Territorial
No. of Gram No.of Panchayat
District constituencies of the
Panchayats Wards
Zilla Panchayat.
West 53 283 25
South 45 257 23
East 44 243 27
North 21* 108* 20*
Total 163 891 94
* Includes the two Dzumsas of Lachen and Lachung.
Source: Rural Management and Development Department, Gangtok,
July, 2008.

In the Panchayat election of 2007, reservation was provided to the

Most Backward Class in proportion to their population. The
reservation for women was increased to 40°/o. The party in .the
election manifesto promised to strengthen the Gram Sabha's. The
Gram Sabha's will take all decisions pertaining to the village and
the villagers. The Gram Sabha's were to be transparent, people
centric and this would further deepen the root of democracy. In
this election apart from SDF, the other political parties that
contested the election was the Congress (I). The Congress (I) has
been able to win few of the panchayat's seat in the state.

Thus, it is seen that in Sikkim the political parties take less

interest in contesting the Panchayat elections as compared to
State Assembly Election and Parliamentary elections. Most of the
panchayat's go uncontested in favour of SDF which is not there in
the Assembly elections in the state. Hence it becomes easier for
the SDF to win the panchayat level elections.

Pagel302
 v
Support Base of the Party in the State:
An Analysis

The Himalayan state since its merger with the Indian Union in
1975 has a 32 member house of which 12 seats are reserved for
the tribal- Bhutia, Lepcha communities, while two seats reserved
for the scheduled castes and one for its unique Buddhist Monastic
seat called the "Sangha". The remaining 17 seats are general
seats. In Sikkim, the two districts, West and South are dominated
by Other Backward Classes of the majority Nepalese community.
The ruling SDF is considered to be a party of the OBC's. The
opposition SSP and now Congress (I) has its support base among
the upper caste Nepalese and a section of the state's tribal
minority. The Sikkim Sangram Parishad now the Congress (I) has
got the support mainly from the East district.

Sikkim is the state where individuals rather than parties

dominate elections, a battle between Chief Minister Pawan
Chamling and former Chief Minister and Sikkim Pradesh Congress
Committee President Nar Bahadur Bhandari. 100 The population is
divided into three separate ethnic groups; the Nepalese
constituting about 75%, the Bhutias and the Lepchas. Among the
Nepalese, around 70% belong to the Other Backward Classes
(OBC) and the remaining belongs to the Upper Caste. Pawan
Chamling and the SDF who belongs to the OBC community get
votes mostly from this section of the population. Nar Bahadur
Bhandari and his party's support base is among the upper caste
Nepalese; the Newari's, Bahun's and Chettri's. The Sikkim Bhutia

100
Nar Bahadur Bhandari joined the Congress (I) to become the lone opposition member in
the Assembly in 2004.

Page\303
Lepcha Apex Community (SIBLAC) which represents the
indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha community in the state supported SDF
earlier and now backs the Congress (!) because according to them
Congress (!) is the party which will be able to protect Article 371
(f) which accords special status to Sikkim. SIBLAC is also opposed
to the opening of Nathula Trade until the "Rights of the ethnic
communities of Sikkim are protected". 101

The Assembly Election results of 1994 indicate that the

backward OBC and the tribal communities fully support the SDF
whereas the Upper caste Nepali Communities supported the
Bhandari led SSP. The results further indicate that the Sikkimese
voters elected a relatively new comer SDF into power. It shows
that the Sikkimese people were fed up with "dictatorial tendencies
of SSP and the opportunism of Congress (Times of India,
December, 13, 1994). The prime reason for the SDF's victory is
that the OBC constitutes the majority vote bank of the SDF. There
was a disenchantment of the electorate with the 15 years Bhandari
government, and the weak opposition in Sikkim. Hence they
supported Chamling (The Telegraph, December 12, 1994). For
getting the support of the people' Chamling went for a state wide
padyatra and carried on a door to door campaign of creating
awareness among the people focussing on the omission and
commissions of the Bhandari government (Sikkim Express,
December 1-8, 1993).

The people of Sikkim favour the SDF and support the party
with full enthusiasm and will. Bishnu Rai, a resident of Damthang
in South Sikkim responded that the former government under the
leadership of Nar Bahadur Bhandari did not bring any development

101
SIBLAC is a non political organisation of the Sikkimese Bhutia and Lepcha community
which has always been working for safeguarding the rights of the people. The member of
the SIBLAC are not allowed to contest any election in the state.

Pagej304
in the villages. Sikkim Democratic Front has done well for the poor
people. The party has helped the people by granting loans and
through several schemes of development. The Congress (!)
leaders had never visited villages, even though the party claims to
be strong opposition party in the state. SDF has been able to
retain its power for the past fourteen years as it is a well
organised regional political party in the state. Like the Communist
party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal, it is a cadre-based political
party which works at the grassroots level. The party (SDF) claims
that they have made the rural areas very strong through the
devolution of power to the Panchayat's. 70% of the annual budget
of the state has been given to the Panchayat's for rural
development. Out of the total 873 panchayat wards in rural
Sikkim, the SDF controls around 850 wards. This is how the party
has been able to win people's support and confidence. Other
political parties lack in the organisational front. SDF has well
organised party machinery like; youth wing, Cheli morcha (women
wing) etc. The opposition political parties lack this. The financial
condition of these parties is also very poor hence they cannot run
well established party office at all levels.

The SSP had earlier mobilised the people by promising many

things like the protection of the rights of the Sikkimese people,
educational facilities, agricultural infrastructure and rural
development. The Sikkim Janata Parishad and Sikkim Sangram
Parishad under Nar Bahadur Bhandari unlike the Sikkim
Democratic Front under Pawan Chamling tried to get people's
support and mobilised the people not by directly providing
personal facilities like grants of monetary support in different
fields. The Government under the SDF had got the support of the
voters it had directly benefited the people personally. The people
were provided with monetary aid and grants for different causes

Pagel305
like financial grant of rupees 20000 to each household living below
poverty line, medical aid, unemployment loans, agricultural loans
at low interest and other benefits like distribution of GCI sheets,
pressure cooker, cylinder gas stove, blankets to the poor people
and organising Janta Mela in each district. The party mobilised the
people by supplying rice at a cheaper rate at half the rate. In the
year 2000 the government under SDF granted 30 model houses in
each constituency to improve the living condition of the rural poor.
Model houses are chosen from the most backward areas of the
respective constituencies. It further mobilised the people by
directly keeping in contact with the people through various party
frontal organisations like Cheli Morcha, Youth Wing etc. To keep in
close contact with the people and make them feel their voice in
the decision making the party held CWC (Central Working
Committee). ewe meeting was held in Visitors Bunglow at
Mingtokgang on 16, March 1997. In the meeting the party passed
the resolution of opening Sanskrit college at Geyzing, West
Sikkim, dissolving present panchayat and conducting election of
the new panchayat under Panchayat Act, Anti- election act,
establishment of Sahitya Sangit Kala Academy in Sikkim etc. It
also decided to get 100% financial help from the centre and to get
Sikkim declared as Direct Tax free zone state. The party later
broadened its policies to include various reforms in the agricultural
sector, industrial sector, eco-tourism and rural development.

The SDF gained popularity after coming to power in 1994

and more people joined the party. In November 1995 more than
60 Sikkim Sangram Parishad party activists from Chakhung and
Soreng constituency joined the SDF. They submitted a
memorandum to the Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling and said that
they have helped SSP and Bhandari for 15 years and no progress

Pagel306
was seen towards the upliftment of the downtrodden. The
memorandum further stated that the true leader of the poor is
Pawan Chamling and the SDF. In the same year more than 30
members from the SSP and the Congress (I) of Rumtek
constituency joined the party.

Finally on the question why the regional political party like

SDF in a newly emerged state has been able to win consecutive
elections of the state Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary
elections. Even though it is true that the SDF has attained
popularity in the state because of a number of reasons, the
policies of the government, strategies of mobilisation, its
organisational structure all has helped but one of the reason is
that the opposition parties are "Non-Existent" both regional as well
as national political parties. People are left with no choice but to
support the Sikkim Democratic Front during the time of elections.

Pagel307
 CONCLUSION

In the last part of our thesis we come to the conclusion which

includes a brief summarization of the chapters and then we arrive
at a conclusion. The first Chapter covers the political developments
of Sikkim since 1940's till its merger with the Indian Union, the
political developments after the merger and the initial success of
the SDF as a regional political party. We have seen that Sikkim, a
small Himalayan kingdom was ruled by the Namgyal dynasty and
had to face many threats and attacks from Nepal and Bhutan.
Nepal in 1717 made repeated attacks and in 1700 Bhutan invaded
Sikkim. The Chogyal had to seek help from the East India
Company in India in order to push back the invaders from Sikkim.
The combined forces of the Sikkimese people also supported the
Chogyal to save the Himalayan Kingdom. British interest in Sikkim
was the trade route to Tibet and their political interest in Tibet.
Sikkim was the possible gate pass to Tibet. For this, a treaty w'ii-i'··:
signed with East India Company on February lOth, 1817.

Sikkim became a de-facto protectorate in 1861 which

changed the ethnic scene of Sikkim. A new turn took place during
Tashi Namgyal's period as the exploitation under the Kazis was at
its peak. The Kazi's were the Zamindar's and members of the
Royal Parishad. They exploited the people through several ways
and means. The exploitation took various forms like Kalobhari,
Jharlaugi, Theki-Bethi and Kuruwa. There was a Zamindari system
under the Chogyal and the Chogyal was under the influence of the
Kazis, who were also the Zamindar's. The Zamindar's suppressed
the rural masses to the extent that they had to take refuge in the
neighbouring places like Nepal, Bhutan, Siliguri, Darjeeling and
Assam. Unable to tolerate the suppression of the Kazi's and the

Page ]308
Zamindar's, the people rose against the suppression. Underground
meetings and movements were held by different political groups
and a new political party was formed called Praja Sammelan in
1947 by the villagers of Temi Tarku. The party was formed to
oppose the suppression of the Kazi's on the people. In the same
year new political parties Rajya Praja Mandai was formed at
Chakhung and Praja Samaj Party was formed at Gangtok. The
three parties came together and a new party, the Sikkim State
Congress was formed on December 7th, 1947. The party
demanded the abolition of the Zamindari system, and for
responsible government and merger of Sikkim with the Indian
Union. The State Congress launched a "No Rent" campaign at
Rangpo and the leaders like Chandra Das Rai was arrested for
violating the proclamation of Chogyal.

Sikkim witnessed many political uprisings during the reign of

Chogyal Tashi Namgyal. There was opposition against monarchy in
Sikkim and demand for written constitution, system of voting,
electoral reforms, land and administrative reforms. Anti-Chogyal
riot at Gangtok took place on March 28th, 1973. Chogyal had to
seek help from the Indian Government which led to a tripartite
agreement between the political parties of Sikkim, the Chogyal and
the Foreign Secretary of India, Kewal Singh. The agreement made
the monarch a constitutional head and in April 1974 the first
democratic election was held in which political parties like Sikkim
Congress, Sikkim National Party and Independent candidates
contested the election. A new historical development took place on
May 16th, 1975 when Sikkim was merged with the Indian Union
and was made the 22"' state of India. B. B. Lall became the first
Governor of Sikkim whereas Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa was
sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the state. Kazi Lhendup Dorji

Pagel309
ruled Sikkim for only a short period. With central aid and grants
many developmental works were carried on during his rule.

We also note that the Sikkim Legislative Assembly election

was held in October 1979 which was the first election conducted
under the direction of the Election Commission of India and the
Indian election laws. Apart from the regional political parties like
Sikkim Janta Parishad, Sikkim Congress, Sikkim Prajantantra
Congress, Sikkim Scheduled Caste League, National political
parties like, Indian National Congress, Janta Party, the CPI (M)
participated in the election. Nar Bahadur Bhandari of Sikkim Janata
Parish ad won the election and became the second Chief Minister of
the state. Various developments in the field of infrastructure were
carried on by the new government. It brought several reforms in
the socio-economic condition of the Sikkimese. But the
Government was dismissed on May 11th, 1984 since corruption
charges were levelled against Nar Bahadur Bhandari by 13
members of his party and four other cabinet ministers. B. B.
Gurung became the next Chief Minister but the government
survived for only 13 days. Presidential rule was imposed as a
result of breakdown of the constitutional machinery.

Nar Bahadur Bhandari came up with a new regional political

party, SSP in 1984 which contested the Assembly election of 1985.
The new party was able to win the election and formed the
government. The Assembly election of 1989 was also won by the
SSP.

In the second section of the chapter, we looked at the

emergence of the SSP as a regional political party which had ruled
Sikkim for more than a decade. Its focus was on the protection of
the interest and rights of the Sikkimese people, and safeguarding
freedom and democracy of the Sikkimese people. The party

Page I 310
contested two Legislative Assembly elections, in 1985 and 1989.
The party won both the elections and formed the governments.

There were developments in many fields like roads and

bridges, health care, education, agriculture and economic sectors.
The main achievement of the government under SSP was the
recognition of the Nepali language as one of the national
languages in the eighth schedule of the constitution in 1992.
However, it was seen that after the 1989 assembly election
Bhandari's attitude changed. He became an autocratic and
authoritarian ruler. There was a total suppression of freedom of
the press and the state was under one man's rule. The political
parties in the state were not in a stable condition to stand as a
strong opposition against the ruling party. The Parties like the
Rising Sun made an alliance with the National Front and the Left
Front to stand against Bhandari's rule. Another important
development was that Pawan Chamling, a cabinet member
opposed Bhandari on the OBC issue on the grounds that the
government deprived the rights of the people by not implementing
the OBC system as per the report of Mandai Commission. Many
criminal and corruption cases against Bhandari were registered.
Joint Action in Sikkim against the government was made.
Demands for restoration of democracy and preservation of the rule
of Law in Sikkim were raised. Pawan Chamling was dismissed from
the Cabinet on the OBC issue. Cham ling emerged as an alternative
to the long established Bhandari rule in Sikkim.

In the third section we have studied the origins and growth of

the SDF and its success in Sikkim. Pawan Chamling came to power
in 1994 with his new regional political party, SDF. It formed the
government with the objective of upholding the principles of
Socialism, Democracy, Sovereignty, Unity and Integrity of the

Page I 311
Indian Union, political, social and economic rights of the people
and promotion of peace, progress and communal harmony in the
state. The SDF government made various promises and policies
were formed after it came to power for the development of the
state. The party had various Committees and Fronts like; All
Sikkim Democratic Front Committee, Central Working Front
Committee, District Committees, Constituency Level Committees
and Block Level Committees. These committees act as a link
between the party and party supporters by the conducting party
meetings at all levels. The party (SDF) won 19 seats out of 32
legislative Assembly seats in the Elections of 1994. The other
political parties contesting the election were; Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (Marxists), Indian National
Congress, Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Sikkim Sangram
Pari shad.

In chapter II we made a study of the promises and electoral

populism of the SDF. SDF was born as a reaction against the
Bhandari government. SDF acted as a sole opposition in the state
and was against the undemocratic rule of the SSP. SDF come up
with the slogan of making "New and Happy Sikkim". The party
(SDF) was able to win people's trust and won the Assembly
election in 1994. As a result SSP under Nar Bahadur Bhandari lost
the election and with this his long established rule in Sikkim also
ended. Behind Bhandari's failure was the corruption charges
levelled against him and his anti-people policies. Political leaders of
other political parties were arrested and tortured. The press from
time to time was closed and there was pressure from the
government. Anti- people activities was the common issue of the
ruling government. All these factors led to the need for the
formation of a strong opposition political party in the state. Joint
Action Committee was formed by political parties like the SDF,

Page\312
Congress (I), Bharatiya Janta Party, Communist Party of India
(Marxist) and organisations like Citizens for Democratic and
Human Rights Organisation in Sikkim and the forces opposed the
ruling government for its mal-administration in the state.

SDF aimed at restoring the rights and privileges of the

people and committed itself to fight against the unjust and
indecent regime. Democratic rights, values and principles in Sikkim
had been eroded. The party pledged to re-orient the economic and
social policies in the state. For fulfilling its dreams and desires of
making Sikkim a "New and Happy Sikkim "it worked on certain
principles and adopted different strategies.

The SDF promised to decentralise and safeguard democracy

in the state. It promised to give political, social and economic
justice to the people. During the earlier regime the fourth estate of
democracy, freedom of press and media were under the control of
the government. Freedom of speech was forbidden. The SDF thus
promised to restore the constitutional rights of the press and
restore back freedom of speech and Rule of Law. The party unlike
the earlier government promised to promote national and
emotional integration with the centre. It also promised the
inclusion of Limboo and Tamang Community in the list of tribal's
and include Rai, Gurung, Manger, Bhujel, Sunwar in the OBC list.

The party promised to promote and protect the languages

of the three ethnic groups of Sikkim and make proposals to the
central government for the inclusion of the Bhutia and Lepcha
language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. It promised
reservation of seats for Nepali and Tsang in the legislative
Assembly. It promised in its election manifesto that the party will
safeguard the rights of the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes
as they are the minority groups in the state. It promised to make a

Page I 313
 proposal to the central government for realignment of the existing
constituencies of the state and to send at least two representatives
to each House of the Parliament. The party also pledged to include
the left out communities; Gurung, Rai, Manger, Sunwar, Thami,
Jogi, Dewan in the tribal category and include Chettri, Bahun,
Newar, Sanyasi in the OBC list.

Decentralisation in the state was promised. The party

promised to give more powers and functions to the panchayat's so
that there would be more participation by the panchayat's in the
decision making of the government. It promised to take steps for
strengthening the Panchayat Raj Institutions and make the
institutions more effective. Provision of honorarium to the
Panchayat members, appointment of Panchayat PA's was
promised. For decentralisation of powers at the local level, it
promised that in all Gram Panchayat's, the Panchayat's will be
empowered to decide and implement the plan. The party also
promised to give responsibility to the Panchayat's over ruling and
maintaining all government institutions like; primary schools,
primary health centres, public library, community information
centres, grounds for sports and rural tourism. Following its
promise, the panchayat election was held on party lines for the
first time in Sikkim in 1997. It promised that all government
decisions will be made after due consultation with the panchayat's
to bring the voice of the people into the mainstream of thinking in
the decision making for rural development.

SDF dreamt of making Sikkim and Sikkimese people self-

sufficient and equally competitive with other states of the Indian
Union. It promised to give 30°/o benefits in social, political and
economic fields to women for promoting women's participation. It
promised 33% of seats for women in Panchayat's and 30% in jobs.

PageJ314
Senior citizens to the party were to be respected and protected by
the state. Old age pension was to be increased up to Rs. 400 per
month to help and give medical treatment. The party also
promised to protect the culture and traditions of the three ethnic
communities of Sikkim. As a pro- people party it promised social
upliftment of the poor and grant land, forest land to built house to
the landless. It promised to establish health centres and medical
facilities making Sikkim a disease free state in 2015. The party
promised to provide employment facilities to the unemployed
youths. The people living below poverty line were promised ration
cards.

Economically the state was not in a good condition when the

SDF came to power. For uplifting the economic conditions of the
poor, it promised to make Sikkim self-sufficient and promised the
development of the rural areas for alleviating poverty. It also
promised to set aside 70% of the am1'~oti3l budget for economic
-~.':·.,,_: ... , ~- ~~- '.,_. ·-- ·- ····- --·-· - -

development. It pledged to remove corruption from the ·state and

solve the problems of labour and low wage earning employees.
Road connections and transport availability would be provided and
it promised to link every village by road with the main town. To
improve the industrial sector, it promised to scrap the sick
industries and revive them. It promised that it would demand
funds from the central government for its maintenance.

As an agricultural state, for better agricultural production

and improvement of the agricultural sector, it promised to set
aside 70% of budget for rural development. It promised to give
agriculture the status of an industry. The party promised the study
of progressive cultivation of maize, ginger, cardamom, pears, tea
leaves and herbal plants. To give information on farming and
cultivation of crops it promised to set rural library and to assist

Page I 315
farmer's assistant in each gram panchayat. Scientific techniques
for cultivation of crops and vegetables and necessary inputs were
to be provided. Dairy farming, poultry farming, piggery and fishery
were given more importance and for these cooperative banks were
to be opened to help the farmers.

For progress and development of the educational system in

the state the party give priority to education. It promised to open
technical institutions for better opportunities to the students and
establish more degree colleges. To encourage education it
promised to make tuition fee free, distribute free text books and
uniforms in all government schools. It also promised to grant
scholarships and quota reserved for ST and SC candidates opting
for higher education. Schools were to be upgraded and provision
was to be made for starting its own school board and university in
the state.

Populism is best defined as a political strategy. IJJtder

populism leader is an individual, a personalistic leader and h·ot· a
group or organisation. Populism rests on the power capability of
numbers and not special weight. Populism emerges when
personalistic leaders rule on massive yet mostly un-
institutionalised support from large number of people. A political
definition of populism is seen as a specific way of competing for
and exercising political power. In populism mass support can have
different levels of organisation and institutionalisation. Thaksin's
Populism in Thailand can be cited as the most developed populism
in contemporary Asia. He launched a series of tours covering every
region of the country. He listened to reports on local problems and
petitions for budget assistance. In many cases, he then gave
instant approval for projects.

P a g e \ 316
 Nar Bahadur Bhandari ruled Sikkim from 1979 to 1994. When
he was in power he pursued policies through which he could get
the support of the people. He followed populist policies to mobilise
people. He promised to protect the rights and interest of the
Sikkimese, maintain communal harmony, maintain national
integrity and safeguard freedom and democracy in the state. The
party (SSP) promised to uplift the standard of living of the people
by implementing poverty alleviation programmes, by improvement
in Agriculture, education, health care, social welfare schemes, safe
drinking water1 rural electrification and rural housing schemes.

We have found that like in Latin America, it is also noted in

Sikkim that the leaders are charismatic individuals and exercise
power by maintaining direct contact with a large unorganised mass
of followers. There is a connection between the leaders and
followers. The leader for this mass support creates intense
connection with the followers and be a guide and lead the people
. ::~.--•'.
towards progress. There is face to face contact with the masSes
through different ways. In Sikkim the people can meet the chief
minister personally and put their grievances. For this the party has
fixed a day in a week only to meet the public. Like other populist
leaders, Chamling also promised for the development of some
sections of the people and safeguard the rights of the people.

In Western countries, the populist leader's support base is

mainly shopkeepers, businessmen in small industry, artisans and
commercial agents. In Sikkim, Chamling's support base is mainly
the agricultural rural masses. These unorganised groups are
mobilised and integrated into politics. The most important
comparison of Chamling's populism can be made with Thaksin's
populism in Thailand. Like Thaksin, Chamling achieved massive
personal popularity in the Assembly Election in 2004. Out of 32

Page I 317
seats he secured 32 seats. His support was largest in the rural
areas. The slogan chosen for his party was "Janta Ko Raj Ma
Jantai Raja" (in popular regime, people are sovereign). Which
reflects his view of giving the people power. The content of his
populism began with his initial policies of restoring democracy and
re-orientation of economy, which responded to the needs and
aspirations of the unorganised masses mainly the rural agricultural
mass which constitutes 75°/o of the population in Sikkim

Chapter III of the study is on the economic policies of the

SDF government since 1994. We have seen that Sikkim is an
agricultural land where agriculture is the main occupation of the
people and it is the main backbone of the state's economy. More
than 65% of the population are agriculturalists. The party
promised to improve the agricultural sector and give it the status
of an industry. This is to increase agricultural productivity. In 1999
it came up with a new progressive programme of providing better
opportunities to the farmers. Gram sewak as an advisor was t6·-be
appointed in every gram panchayat to provide the farmers with
the information on scientific technologies, variety of seeds, organic
manure and training on better farming. The party promised to
make Sikkim purely an organic state by helping the farmers in soil
conservation, prevent land from soil erosion and help them in the
cultivation of orange, passion fruit, guava, banana, papaya, apple,
and some other fruits and vegetables. For better outputs, the
SIMFED has been providing inputs like seeds, fertilizer, pesticides,
and tools since 1996. Various measures were taken to increase
forest cover in the state. The year 1995 was declared as "Green
Revolution Year. " Balanced uses of fertilizer nutrients were given
emphasis. In three years time the party in government organised
regular training programmes through FTC (Farmers Training
Centre) and workshops for 6000 farmers in 1994~1995, 5000 in

Page/318
 1995- 1996, and 8000 in 1996-1997 (Department of Information
and Public Relations, Govt. of Sikkim, 1997, p.27). The production
of oil seeds has been enhanced with the Oil Seed Production
Programme. The oilseed production was 1050 quintals in 1994-
1995, 989 tonnes in 1995 -1996 and 1000 tonnes in 1996-1997.
The Integrated Coarse Cereal Development Programme was
launched during the Eighth plan in which the farmers were allowed
to exercise their choice on crop varieties. A new Board; Agriculture
Department and Farmers Welfare Board was established in 1995
as an advisory body which concentrates on guiding the
Department of Agriculture.

The government under the SDF turned the negative

economic growth rate into positive growth. After 1995 -1996 both
the Net State Domestic Product and Per Capita income have
increased from Rs. 426 Crores in 1995-96 to Rs. 891 Crores in
2001-2002 (Govt. of India, Economic Survey,.,._... 2002-2003).
. ,_,_·The
...
government under the SDF increased the num\:!er of Watersheds in
the state from 12 to 24 in 1997-98. The government has started
new centrally sponsored schemes like Macro-Management in
Agriculture and women in Agriculture from 2000-2001 to provide
support to agricultural development and encourage women's
participation in agricultural activities.

Industry is the key sector from where the economic growth

in the state can be accelerated. The government in the year 1998
12th Lok Sabha election, in its election manifesto promised to scrap
and revive the sick industries. There are certain reasons for poor
industrial performance in Sikkim. The main constraints are-lack of
knowledge of the entrepreneur regarding manufacturing activities,
lack of raw materials, absence of proper manpower, poor
marketing network, inflexible land taws and lack of enabling laws,

page I 319
under developed infrastructure facilities/ shortage of credit and
finance. The government implemented certain measures and
policies towards the development of the industrial sector in Sikkim.
The SDF government promised to maintain and reopen the sick
and closed industries in Sikkim. This can be a source of
employment to the unemployed. The government under the SDF
also implemented long term industrial policy for industrial
development and to revive the Government Food Preservation
Factory (GFPF).

For effective promotion of industries the government made

strategies of Identification of thrust areas. Attractive package and
fiscal incentives, special promotional measures for rural and
traditional estates and growth centres to facilitate integrated
development of industries/ revamping the public sector
undertakings and development of marketing support systems and
development of appropriate training facilities were provided by the
government. It provided long term loans for cottage and small
scale industries/ hotels, hospitals 1 nursing homes and taxis. The
Sikkim Precision Industries Ltd. 1 Namchi was conceived in March
1998. The government has been able to provide training for rural
artisans and small scale entrepreneurs. It has been able to provide
provisional and permanent registration to small scale industries
and tiny industries. S!DICO (Sikkim Industrial Development and
Investment Corporation Ltd.) was set up in 1997 and it has been
engaged in promoting financial development of small scale
industries 1 cottage 1 small and medium sectors in Sikkim. In the
years 1995-96 to 1999-2000, it has sanctioned loans to 2147
beneficiaries amounting to Rs 10,35 Crores (Government of
Sikkim 1 Sikkim-A statistical Profile, Directorate of Economics/
Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation, 2004-05, p. 132). The Union
Government has also launched new industrial policies for the state

Page\320
 on the line of the existing North-East Industrial policy. The policy
included exemption of excise and income tax to all new industrial
and expansion of existing units for a period of ten years from the
date of commencement of commercial production. The policy
granted financial concessions to 12 identified thrust areas in
industries. In May, 1999, the government made some
recommendations in the policy interventions in the industrial
sector of the state. To accelerate industrial expansion and urban
domestic and rural needs alternative power sources have been
explored and developed (Govt. of Sikkim, Department of
Information and Public Relations, May, 2008, p. 70).

In Sikkim the total communication service depends upon

road network. The government has constructed 29 Kms of new
roads in the year 1994-1995, in the year 1995- 1996, 72 Kms was
constructed and 60 Kms was constructed in 1996-1997. Total 161
Kms was constructed in 1997-1998. For providing better transport
..
. facilities to trrt!'~ubiic as well aS transportation of material goods'
mainly from Siliguri, the government gave this responsibility to
Sikkim National Transport. Till 2001, the number of buses has
increased to 123 and 134 trucks/ tankers.

Construction of helipads at remote areas of Sikkim has been

promised which will become useful during the time of emergencies
when there are natural calamities, epidemics, road blocks etc.
This will also help to promote tourism in the state. The he\ipads at
Lachung, Dalapchen, Rabongla, Dodak, Yoksum, Pelling are same
which have been constructed.

The SDF government has taken measures to conserve forest

and environment. It adopted and enforced forest environment and
wild life policy in 1999 to protect environment and preserve forest
and wild life. To conserve forest the government implemented ban

Page I 321
on grazing by all domestic animals in reserve forest areas in the
state to protect plantations and ban on the use of non-
biodegradable products like plastic bags in the state. Following this
measure, Sikkim becomes the first state in the country to
effectively implement this ban. The government has further
decided to adopt "Green Road" scheme by undertaking extensive
plantation on the road sides within five years service 2003. The
SDF government declared to make Sikkim a "Total Organic State".
With his efforts in preserving the environment, Chief Minister
Pawan Chamling was awarded the "Greenest Chief Minister of
India" by the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi in
1999.

In Chapter IV we have looked at the status of democracy in

Sikkim in the period of our study. Democracy in Sikkim was
implanted in 1975 but the SDF claims that real democracy was
restored under the rule of th~ SDF. Democratic movements in
•, . ~· -~·

Sikkim began with the anti--Chogyal prot~~t against th·e · ·.

exploitation and suppression of the rural masses during the
Chogyal period. In the 1940's many political parties developed,
like the Sikkim State Congress and Sikkim Janata Congress as
against the feudal domain of the king. The main aim of the newly
formed parties was to abolish the system of feudalism and bring
democracy in Sikkim. On 4th, April 1973 Law and order completely
broke down in Sikkim when hundreds of demonstrations from all
parts of Sikklm came to Gangtok against the Chogyal and
demanded the establishment of Responsible government in
Sikkim. A tripartite agreement was signed on the sth of May 1973
between the Chogyal, Foreign Secretary, Govt. of India and the
representatives of three political parties for the establishment of
responsible government in Sikkim with a democratic constitution,

Pagej322
fundamental rights, rule of law, independent judiciary and greater
legislative and executive powers for the representatives of the
people. Chogyal was made the constitutional head. The first
general election was held in April 1974 and Kazi Lhendup Dorjee
was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of Sikkim. Sikkim was
made the 22"' state of the Indian Union in May 16th, 1975 and
with this the long established Chogyal rule in Sikkim came to an
end.

There was a failure of constitutional machinery in Sikkim and

President's rule was imposed for the first time in Sikkim on 18th
August 1979. Democracy was in its initial stage during the Kazi L.
Dorjee time and not much development could take place. On 12th
October 1979, the government was formed by Sikkim Janata
Parishad under Nar Bahadur Bhandari. Since then Bhandari ruled
Sikkim till 1993. He promised to restore democracy and bring all
round development in Sikkim. Importance was given to Education,
Health, Transport and communication, social welfare schemes,
safe drinking water facilities etc. After the 1989 assembly election
Bhandari was charged with corruption cases and opinions was
raised against the mal-administration, anti-people policies and
autocratic rule in Sikkim since there was the hegemony of only one
political party and one man rule in Sikkim. Right to press was
curtailed and there was constant pressure over the mass- media.
This led to absence of a strong opposition leading to absence of
real democracy in the state.

We found that after Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the government

was formed by SDF under Pawan Chamling. He promised to
restore real democracy with freedom of speech and freedom of
press In Sikkim and promised to provide social justice for all
sections of the society- in religion, language, gender, profession

Pagel323
and culture. The government recommended the inclusion of seven
communities; Bhujel, Gurung, Manger, Rai, Sunwar and Tamang
from among the Sikkimese Nepalese origin as socially and
educationally backward classes.

For better working of press and the media the government

constituted Press Accreditation Committee to facilitate
correspondents and editors of qualified registered newspapers and
agencies. Under Media Initiative Programme the IPR Department
provided computers, printers and fax machines to help them build
their infrastructural developments.

Free and fair elections are held at all levels of government

and there is more participation of the people in selection of the
representatives. Justice is provided readily for the masses 1 lok
adalats have been constituted in all nine sub- divisions of Sikkim.
To bring social justice, Tamang's and Limboo's are included in the
category of Scheduled Tribe's in 2003 and it reconstructed Sikkim
Commission for Backward Classes in 1998 for the inclusion of any
class of citizens as a Backward Class in the Schedule and to
address wrong inclusion or non-inclusion of any backward class.
The earlier government had rejected to include Bhujel, Gurung,
Rai, Sunwar, and Tamang in the OBC category but it was done on
25th, May, 1999. The government under the SDF included
Sanyasi, Thamis, Chettri, Bahun and Newar in the list of OBC on
17'" September, 2003.

However, there has been some criticism against the SDF

democratic policies. Pawan Cham\ing at a press conference had
given a statement of anti-people policies when he said that "people
had given SDF (govt) the mandate to rule for five years and
anyone opposing the government on any issue would be going
against the mandate. In 1999, 12 hour hunger strike by

Page\324
representatives of the three ethnic communities at B. L House in
Gangtok for restoration of political rights was held. In February,
2003, Sikkim United Democratic Alliance (SUDA) was formed with
the objective of strengthening democratic process, ensure freedom
of expression and fight for the restoration of the political rights of
the Sikkimese people. The Alliance consisted of BJP, Congress (I),
Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad, Organisation of Sikkimese Unity
(OSU) and NEBUlA (National Liberation Front). In 1997 a new
political party Sikkim Ekta Manch was launched under L.P Tewari
with the view that the administration in Sikkim was deteriorating
and they intended to bring political reforms in Sikkim. According to
the Sikkim Observer editor Jig me N. Kazi, the Fourth estate, one of
the main pillars of democracy has been seized in Sikkim for a long
time.

The SDF gained its popularity with the slogan "Janta ko Raj
Ma Jantai Raja". It means that in a popular regime people are the
rulers. It means the empowerment of the poor and the
downtrodden and making them the real ruler of the state. For the
SDF, the people of Sikkim tasted real democracy under the SDF
government. The party in government has been able to give
people freedom, justice, and power to rule themselves. The
participation of the people in the state affairs has increased.
Through the Panchayati Raj system power has been decentralized
and there is an involvement of the people in decision making. The
party gave importance to women empowerment and seats are
reserved for women in the Panchayati Raj system.

For the smooth functioning of the administration at the

grassroots level, 24 administrative centres have been opened
throughout the state. For the upliftment and safeguard of the
weaker sections of the society separate Welfare Boards for STs,

Page\325
SCs, OBCs and MBCs have been constituted. Many developmental
schemes were carried on like the construction of new schools and
its maintenance, implementation of central schemes like
distribution of high yielding variety seeds to the farmers, training
and capacity building course for the unemployed youths, medical
facilities, educational facilities, drinking water facilities, grants in
aid to the poor people and construction of model houses for the
homeless poor people of the state. All this has improved the living
standard of the people and has made their lives better.

We found that the SDF has provided necessary

administrative and financial resources to PRis for better planning
and democratic decentralization in the rural areas. The origin of
panchayati raj was in the council called "Gyeme" which means
village elders in Sikkimese language and panchayat in Nepali
language. Panchayat's was recognized by the Sikkim Government
in Ja<~uary, 1948 by constituting an Elaka Panchayat Tribunal. The
first'.f>anchayat election was held in 1966 under the supervision of ····-·

the chief Secretary, the ex-officio Chief Election Officer and the
Land Revenue Secretary to the Government of Sikkim. The
election was conducted in 142 panchayat units. The Sikkim
Panchayat Act, 1993 was enacted following the 73'' Constitutional
Amendment Act, 1992. The Act for the first time accords
constitutional status to the local government institutions and
ensure the reservation of seats for women in Panchayati raj. The
act also constituted three tier panchayati raj structure; at the base
is the Gram Panchayat, the intermediary level is the Block level
and at the apex is the Zilla Panchayat.

In the observation made in the working of Panchayat Raj

Institutions in Sikkim, it is found out that the 73rd and 74th
Amendment Act has been implemented in the state. 33% seats

Page\326
have been reserved for women, which had been increased to 40°/o,
24 administrative center's have been opened for speedy and
smooth functioning of administration at the grassroots level. The
panchayafs now have the jurisdiction over primary schools,
primary health centre, subsidiary health center,s, public libraries 1
community information centre's, village tourism/ small scale
irrigation projects and community buildings. The rural people have
been able to participate in the decision making of the government
through panchayat's. For the first time in Sikkim panchayat
election was held on party basis in 1997. The panchayat's were
vested with more powers and adequate man power to assist them
in the administrative and technical works.

Sikkim follows a two-tier system of Panchayati Raj with Zilla

Panchayat at the district level and Gram Panchayat at the village
level. The state is divided into four Zillas or districts consisting of
95 Territorial Constituencies and 163 Gram Panchayat Units, and
891 wards. The traditional institution of Lachung and Lachen,
known as Dzumsa are deemed to be Gram Panchayat unit and
exercise its traditional powers and functions. Out of 166 gram
panchayat units, 105 units have been provided with self-contained
pucca panchayat ghars. State Institute of Rural Development
(SIRD) an autonomous apex level training institute for the
panchayat's has been established. After coming to power, in 1994
the government under the SDF set aside 70% of the state budget
for rural development.

With the increase in powers and functions of the

panchayat's, local problems are resolved through Panchayat's and
NGO's at the local level. To build people's confidence, the
government has adopted a strategy that mixes power
decentralization, people's involvement and benefit centric

Page\327
activities. Suchna Kendra has been set up in all the 163 Gram
Panchayat's, training workshops are organized regularly to
increase the rural people's representation. The enactment of the
73'' Amendment Act has enabled the people's involvement in the
formulation, planning, and execution of programmes of economic
involvement and social justice. Women are enjoying greater role
and responsibility.

Through the devolution of power, the government under the

SDF has been able to take development to the villages whereas in
the earlier period of the government most of the developmental
work was Gangtok-centric. There was a criticism of the
government's policies particularly on the non-merit and
indiscriminate subsidies by the Congress (I) spokesperson Biraj
Adikari. Therefore we have found that Democracy in Sikkim is a
participatory democracy where the grassroots are enabled to take
part in the working of state administration.

In the fifth and sixth chapters of the thesis we analysed the

support base of the party in the state and we see how the party
mobilises its support through different means. We do this with the
help of a survey conducted in four constituencies of the state out
of the 32 constituencies. Altogether west district has nine
constituencies, south district has seven 1 east district has eleven
and north district has four constituencies and there is one Sangha
(monk) seat. The survey was conducted in Lahcen Mangahila in
the north, Damthang in the south, Geyzing in the west and
Gangtok in the east. The three constituencies of north, south and
west are rural constituencies; Gangtok in the east is urban though
some part falls under the rural areas.

In Sikkim east district has the largest population in the state,

followed by south, west and the north. North district occupies the

Pagel328
largest area of land but due to unsuitable climatic and hostile
geographical conditions it is sparsely populated. The rise in
population is seen in the east district because of a number of
reasons which we have discussed earlier in the chapter. Town
wise, there are total eight towns in Sikkim. North has one town;
Mangan. South has two towns; Jorethang and Namchi. West
district has two towns; Geyzing and Nayabazar. East district has
three towns; Gangtok, Singtam and Rangpo. The three ethnic
groups of Sikkim, Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepalese are the main ethnic
groups in Sikkim. Lepcha and Bhutia (including Tamang, Limboo,
Sherpa) constitute the Scheduled Tribes in Sikkim. The north
district has the highest percentage of ST's with around 22.33
percent of total population of Sikkim. Among the STs Lepcha's are
the original inhabitants of the land. The Nepalese communities like
Damai, Majhi, Sarki, and Kami are the Scheduled Caste groups.
The remaining Nepalese group is categorized into OBC (Other
Backward Classes) comprising of Chettri, Bahun and Pradhan
(Newar) Bhujel, Jogi, and Sanyasi. MBC (Most Backward Classes)
comprises of Rai, Gurung, Thapa (Manger), and Sunwar. General
groups include Marwari's, Bihari's and Bengali's residing in Sikkim
before 1975.

Sikkim basically is an agricultural land and agriculture is the

main occupation of the Sikkimese. Agriculture contributes nearly
50% of the state's income. Land in Sikkim is unevenly distributed
among the three ethnic groups; Lepcha's, Nepali's and Bhutia's.
The Nepalese own more than 50% of the cultivated land followed
by Bhutia's and then Lepcha's. Out of total 99.36% cultivated land
in Sikkim, 58.66 are owned by Nepali, 20.38 by Lepcha and 30.32
by Bhutia's. The marginal and small farmer's form the bulk of the
total holdings, which makes up to 67.86% of the total land
holdings. The medium groups holding land between 2 to 4

Page\329
hectares and 4 to 10 hectares constitute 19.64%. The big farmer's
who own more than 10 hectares of land are less than 2°/o but
cultivates about 130fo of the total land area. East district has the
largest number of holdings and the north district has the least
holdings. But in terms of area, north has the largest area of 7.71
hectares, east with 1.70, west with 2.66 and south with 2.28
hectares. The total cultivators in Sikkim are 95078. The
agricultural labourers are 12851. The west district constitutes the
highest number of cultivators and agricultural farmers. North
district has the lowest number of only 6198 cultivators. East
district has 26027 and South district has 29177 cultivators. East
has the highest number of agricultural labourers, west with 3171,
south with 2111 and north with 2003.

So far as voters are concerned Sikkim has the record of total

255377 voters out of which 132591 are male voters and 122786
are female voters. District wise 1 north has a total of 18404 voters,
east has a total of 113107 voters, west has a total of 66278 voters
and south district has a total of 57588 voters in 2004.

Revenue blocks in Sikkim is the co-terminous of revenue

village and is been taken as the lowest village block. It consists of
several hamlets and has been the ultimate unit area in which the
country is divided for the purpose of land revenue. There are a
total 453 revenue blocks in Sikkim classified into seven population
groups ranging from; 1) less than 200, 2) 200-499, 3)500-999,
4)1000-1999, 5) 2000-4999, 6) 5000-9999, 7) 10000 and above.
In Sikkim no revenue blocks in any district or sub-divisions fall
under the population range of 10000 and above. Three revenue
blocks in Gangtok sub-division of east district fall under the
category of 5000-9999 population. Majority of revenue blocks are
having population ranging from 500-999. Out of a total 453

Pagej330
revenue blocks, 411 are the actual revenue blocks, 39 are forest
blocks, 2 monasteries and one tea estate. Total number of
inhabited revenue blocks is 447. North district has a total 53, east
district 134, south district 145, and west district has 121 revenue
blocks.

In section II of the chapter we have dealt with the survey

conducted in the Damthang Constituency which covers the villages
of Damthang, Kamrang, Singithang, Boomtar, Maniram
Bhanjyang, Dambu Dara and Namchi town and parts of Saleybong
block. The main objective of the survey was to find out the support
base of the party. Damthang constituency as a whole comprises of
mostly Nepalese belonging to MBC (Most Backward Class)
comprising of Rai, Gurung, Manger and some Scheduled tribes like
Bhutia, Sherpa and Tamang.

In this constituency it was found that out of 100 persons 60

are agriculturalist farmers cultivating paddy, maize, millets,
pulses, cardamom, and ginger. The average income of these pople
ranges from 3000-10,000 per month and those of the employee's
ranges from 6000 and above. In Namchi the total number of
cultivators is 18484 in number and 1325 agricultural labourers.
Marginal and small farmers form the bulk of the total land
holdings.

It was found that Damthang constituency is a rural

constituency and the people are mostly rural. The houses are
made of wooden bamboo and tin roof. Some houses have been
built with the help of centrally sponsored schemes like Indira
Housing Yojna. Model house are also built worth Rs 3 lakh by the
state government to the landless and homeless Sikkimese people.
Pucca houses are seen in semi-urban areas of Namchi and the
surrounding areas. The state government has distributed GCI

Page I 331
sheets, gas cylinder, blankets, and water tanks drinking water
facilities to the villagers to improve their standard of living.

We found that religion wise approximately 75% of the

population of this constituency are Hindus, 15°/o Buddhist, and the
remaining Christians. Monastries, Temples and Church are built in
almost each village. In Namchi a Mosque for the Muslims has been
built. We also found that around 75% of the population are
Nepalese; the common language spoken is Nepali by all the
communities. Languages like Bhutia, Lepcha, Rai, Limboo,
Tamang, manger, Gurung, are spoken amongst their own
communities and family members.

We found that in this constituency the support of the people

is for the SDF and the people of this area are satisfied with the
performance of the party and the quality of governance under the
party. The survey was conducted among various category of
people like, employees, rural people, businessmen and
unemployed groups. Almost all the categories of people are
satisfied and happy with the performance of the party as the
people have directly and indirectly benefited by the government
under the party. The rural people reported that they have been
provided with the basic facilities of safe drinking water, toilets, free
education, medical facilities, and loans to the unemployed
educated people, and grant in aids etc. The SDF received support
from the people as it could reach the people and fulfil peoples'
aspiration. Moreover the opposition leaders in Sikkim are not very
strong to stand against the SDF rule. The party has been able to
built strong organisational structure for better working of the party
in the state.

Chapter VI is a continuation of chapter V in which we

continue to analyse the support base of the party. In section I of

Pagel332
the chapter we looked into the support base of the party in
Geyzing constituency. The constituency comprises of four Gram
Panchayat units; Geyzing Omchung Gram Panchayat Unit,
Yangthang Gram Panchayat Unit, Lingchom - Tikjya Gram
Panchayat Unit, Sardong- Lungzik Gram Panchayat Unit.

The Geyzing constituency comprises of Limboo's followed by

Chettri, Bahun, Bhutia and scheduled caste mainly sunwar's. Other
caste groups like Rai and Gurung are also found in this area.
Omchung GPU comprises of mostly Chettri and Bahun and small
groups of Rai. Yangthang GPU comprises of Bhutia's, Limboo's and
Gurung. Lingchom-Tikjya GPU comprises of 90% of Umboo's.
Sardung-Lungzik GPU comprises of Rai, Limboo, Gurung, Chettri
and Bahun.

Except for the two towns, Geyzing and Nayabazar, the

constituency is mainly rural with agricultural land. The main
occupation of the people of this area is agriculture. We found that
out of 100, 20-25 are employees and the rest are rural people.
Their income ranges from Rs 2000- 12000 per month. The average
income of employees ranges from Rs 5000 and above. Those who
work on temporary basis and private firms their monthly income
ranges from Rs 2500- 50000.

Geyzing has the highest number of cultivators and

agriculturalists farmers. Medium and small land holders form the
bulk of the land holdings. Approximately 15-18 % is big land
holders and 6% are Kutiyadars. Kutiyadars are the landless
labourers who cultivate the land as per the condition/agreement
made between the land owners and themselves. The economic
activity of the people of this area is mainly the cultivation of crops
like paddy, oranges, ginger and vegetables. Agricultural labourers
live below poverty line. Kutcha houses made of wood and straw

Page\333
are seen in the remote areas. The distribution of GC! sheets by the
state government has replaced the straw roofs. In the urban and
semi urban areas many cemented buildings and pucca houses can
be seen. The government has provided better facilities to the
people like safe drinking water, sanitation, distributed gas cylinder,
water tanks and other subsidies.

Limboo's are the dominant population followed by Bhutia's

and then the general classes like Chettri and Bahun who are
mostly Hindus. Bhutia's are Buddhist by faith and Limboo's, one of
the ethnic communities of Sikkim have a distinct religion known as
"YUMA SAMYO", which believes that God is Almighty and a
benevolent deity who does good for the people. "Yuma Samyo" of
Umboo community has its own way of performing rituals 1 healing
practices of diseases and illness. The common language spoken
however is Nepali by all the communities. Bhutia and Limboo
communicate in their own languages.

During our tours we found that the party has established a

permanent district party office at Geyzing with constituency level
office and Block level party office at each Gram Panchayat Unit.
The members are nominated by the party president. Party meeting
is held once a month which is attended by the party supporters,
panchayat's and the women supporters. The party office is well
maintained with party flags, board's party calendars, photographs
of the Party President and party monthly and annual magazines.
During the election time, the party activists help in conducting
party meetings, explaining the aims and objectives of the party to
the people and help in election campaign by guiding the party
youths and workers. We also noted that the other political parties
in the constituency do not have permanent party offices. The

Page/334
opposition political parties maintain temporary party office's only
during the election time.

SDF has been winning the election in this constituency since

1994. For the people it is the only political party in the state which
is stable and leads the people to peace and prosperity. For the
rural people the party has provided better living facilities than the
former government. The party has good vision of making Sikkim a
"NEW SIKKIM". The policies of the party are appreciated and the
government under the SDF has been working for the benefit and
upliftment of the weaker sections of the society. It has been
working in a democratic manner and has been able to integrate
different communities of the society. The people support the party
because for its good vision towards the development of the state.
The political parties like Sikkim Sangram Parishad, Indian National
Congress, Communist Party of India, Bharatiya Janata party and
others contested the elections of 1994, 1999 and 2004. But the
SDF won all the elections in the state.

In section II of the chapter we concentrated on the Lachen

Mangshila constituency. It is one of the four constituencies of
north district, it comprises of seven GPUs; Ramthang Tangyat
GPU, Namok Sheyam GPU ,Tingchim Mangshila GPU, Ringchim
Nampatam GPU, Sentam GPU, Toong Naga GPU and Tshungthang
GPU. As per the survey conducted in June 2008, Lachen and
Lachung is totally inhabited by the Bhutia's. Mangshila is a Subba
(Lim boo) dominated area. Ramthang-Tangyat GPU is also a Bhutia
dominated area. Namok Sheyam, Toong-Naga Tshungthang are
totally Bhutia dominated areas. Mangan, which is the only town in
north district, is the place where other communities like Bihari's
and Marwari's reside.

Pagel335
 It was found that agriculture is the main occupation of the
people of this region. Bhutia's mostly depend on agriculture, dairy
farming and other pastoral activities. Potato, large cardamom,
cabbage, barley are some of the cultivated crops of this area. The
main source of income is agriculture and the income ranges from
Rs 3000- 12000 per month. During the season of large cardamom
the income increases slightly and ranges from 10000 -50000 per
month. The land holdings are large with cultivated lands. Unlike
Kutiyadars in Geyzing constituency the land is cultivated by the
land owners themselves. Tshungthang has 800 cultivators and 190
agricultural labourers. Mangan has 5398 cultivators and 1813
agricultural labourers (Directorate of Census Operation, Sikkim,
2001, series 22).

The lifestyle of the people in this region is different from

other communities of the state. Small section of people are
employed, the bulk of the population depend on agriculture for
their income and livelihood. Their source of income is also
depended upon the tourists during the tourist season. Many hotels
and rest houses have been built for the same purpose. In the rural
areas, the houses are traditional houses built of wooden planks
and tin roofs. The furniture's are wooden and woollen carpets
made out of yak wool and fur is common. Since the constituency is
Bhutia dominated, the religion they follow is Buddhism.
Monasteries or Gumpas are built in almost all the villages where
rituals and festival prayers take place. In Tshungthang and
Mangan small section of people of other communities also reside
who are Christians and Hindus. The common language spoken is
Nepali but in the Bhutia dominated area the common language is
Bhutia.

Pagel336
 The constituency is reserved. It is a B.L seat (Bhutia,
Lepcha). It was found that people/voter's support the candidate
who belongs to their community rather than those candidate
belonging to other communities. In all the three General elections
of 1994, 1999, 2004, the candidate who has won the election has
been from their own community and from their region. The rural
people support the party because they feel that the leader of the
party is good and is "Garib ko Neta".

It was found that a section of people mainly the employees

are not satisfied with the performance of the party leaders as they
seldom visit the villages and like other political parties in the state
they come only during the election time. The development is
brought through the Dzumsa system; a traditional panchayat
system which still exists in Lachen and Lachung. It is a unique
institution of democracy. Dzumsa is headed by the village chief
called the Pipon. Dzumsa is a General Council of Lachenpa or
Lachungpa villagers which was recognized in 1985 and continues
to function till date. It was found from the survey that the SDF
gets its main support from Mangshila, the Subba community.

It was also found that the all the party meetings in Lachen
and Lachung are held at Dzumsa office headed by Pipon. Party
office in a rented building and has been maintained at Mangshila,
Mangan and Tshungthang which functions throughout the year.
Committees at the district level, constituency level and block level
are functioning and the members keep in constant contact with the
villagers and the party. Other political parties lack this kind of
organizational structure. They become active only during the time
of election.

In the Gangtok constituency the survey was conducted in

August 2008. Amongst the three towns in east district Gangtok is

Pag€1337
the largest populated town with a population of 29162 persons
(Census of India, Sikkim Provisional, 2001). The total number of
voters is also the highest with 113107 persons. As per the Census
of India, 2001, the total number of voters is also the highest with
113107 persons. The people of this constituency comprises of
different castes and communities from both within and outside the
state. The town area is dominated by the business class like the
Bihari's and Marwari's who are the old residents of Sikkim. Varied
caste groups and communities like Pradhan, Chettri, Bahun Rai,
Manger, and Bhutia also run small business and hotels and
restaurant at the market place. One reason for the existence of
these varied groups at Gangtok is that it the centre of all
government headquarters, educational institutions, business
activities as well as job opportunities.

Most of the people in Gangtok are employees working both

in government and private firms. Their income varies from Rs
3000,,and above per month. Business g'hJups income ''fcin-ge·s from
Rs 2000-1,00000 per month. Business includes small as well as big
shops. The surrounding area is a rural area with agriculture as the
main occupation of the people and their income ranges from
Rs.lOOO to 4000 per month.

In Gangtok constituency there are diverse communities

living and the religion they follow is of diverse kind. Among the
Scheduled tribe the religion they follow is Buddhism. Among the
Nepali community the religion is Hinduism. There are small section
of society who follows Islam and Sikhism. There are monasteries,
temples, churches, mosque and Gurudwara's built in and around
Gangtok. The common language spoken by all the communities is
Nepali. The lifestyle of the people in Gangtok is little different from
other parts of Sikkim. The standard of living of the people is quite

Pagej338
high as compared to other parts of the state. It is in a better
position in terms of economic development and growth. The
houses are pucca houses and well furnished. Only very few houses
in the rural areas are old and traditional.

Gangtok is a general constituency with diverse population

from different walks of life. The rural people are satisfied with the
performance of the SDF as many developmental works have been
carried on in the state. In this constituency a section of employee
group is not satisfied with the party. Like the rural people, the
employee group has no direct link with the party leaders and this
group has not benefited directly from the party.

Party office is maintained at the district level, constituency

level and at block level. The head office is situated at Tadong,
Gangtok where all the party meetings and the party activities are
carried out. The formulation of party policies, party rules and
regulations, membershiP~· office portfolios are looked after by the ·
oint1~1 Working Committee of the party. It is the re's!!'dhsibility of
the block level committees to look after the working of the party
system in the rural areas. The party has frontal organisations like
the women's wing and youth wing which acts as a bridge between
the masses and the party. The party has party office maintained in
every gram panchayat block.

After summing up the chapters let us arrive at a conclusion.

Historically political parties have played a crucial role in the
political development of Sikkim and implantation of democracy in
the state. The concept of Democracy means collective decision
making. Democracy, in other words, entails the twin principles of
"popular control" over collective decision-making and "equality of
rights" in the exercise of that control. In the context of Sikkim this
aspect of democracy was absent during the Chogyal's rule. The

Pagel339
people of Sikkim in an organised form with political associations
revolted against the autocratic rule of the King and the Zamindar's
of Sikkim. The struggle for democracy in Sikkim can be traced
back to the 1940's when political parties in Sikkim came up as a
protest against the monarchy and its administration. Ultimately the
various revolts gave way to the merger of Sikkim with the Indian
Union in 1975. SDF claims that real democracy in Sikkim was
brought by the party. But the fact remains that the way to
democracy was paved by the earlier revolutions and
revolutionaries in Sikkim. Without their efforts the people of
Sikkim would not have been enjoying the fruits of democracy now.
The political parties in Sikkim aimed at putting an end to the rule
of the Chogyal. They put forward the demands of abolition of the
Zamindari system, establishment of a responsible government and
demanded the merger of Sikkim with India even though the rule
under Chogyal Tashi Namgyal was a different one as compared to
the rule of earlier Chogyals of Sikkim. During his time
administrative reforms took place. Schools and hospitals were
established in Sikkim. The only major difference in the pre-merger
and post- merger period is that the people of Sikkim for the first
time got the opportunity to exercise their political rights of
choosing their leader. Democracy was absent in the first few years
of the merger period though post merger period was often said to
be a democratic period.

The new government formed in 1979 by Sikkim Janta

Parishad under Nar Bahadur Bhandari came with the promise of
establishing real democracy in Sikkim. The political parties in
Sikkim talks of real democracy, however they failed to explain the
real concept of democracy to the people. People always expected
that real democracy be implanted in Sikkim. Many development
works were carried on by the Bhandari Government during its

PageJ340
tenure but it could not fulfil the aspirations and expectations of the
people of Sikkim of realising the establishment of democracy.

The Chief Minister himself was charged with corruption

charges and misgovernment in the state. Nar Bahadur Bhandari
had promised to give security to the people in the state but his
misgovernment and corruption charges against him shows that he
failed to safeguard the peoples' rights and provide security to the
people. Though the party under Bhandari could win consecutive
elections of 1979, 1984 and 1989, in terms of establishing
democracy the party failed to fulfil its promise. SSP vote percent in
all the three consecutive elections has always been above 50°/o.
Even though he failed to reach the aspirations of the people, he
was able to secure majority votes in the Assembly elections in the
state. The main reason behind Bhandari's success is due to his
overshadowing position of his party and weak opposition political
parties in the state. The democratic process in the state weakened
,.,.,
and hence the people were not able to exercise their demOcratic
rights.

A Joint Action Committee was formed by all the political

parties in Sikkim to protest against the Bhandari government. The
political organisations were in favour of dismissing the
government. In this situation there was split in the party and a
new group led by Pawan Chamling under SDF was formed in 1993.
After coming to power in 1994, SDF as a new party focused on
societal interest. SDF could maintain stability in the electoral
competition as the party could control the voter's choices by
working on good political and economic strategies. It is widely
accepted that the people take economic conditions into
consideration when they decide for whom to vote. It means the
economic factors influenced people's decision. It is important to

Pagel341
see here how SDF tried to fulfil the promises which it had laid
down in its election manifestos. Criticising the earlier government
which failed to satisfy the aspirations of the people, it promised to
establish real democracy in Sikkim and restore the constitutional
rights of all sections of people. The fourth estate was at stake and
the press and media were under the control of the party. In order
to restore the Freedom of the Press in the state, the SDF gave
much emphasis to free press and media so that people get the
opportunity to express their opinion. The freedom of the press
though has been restored by the new government under the SDF,
the press is not free in the sense that it can not go against the
government. It is also important to note that like the earlier
governments, the local TV channel is controlled by the
government. It is seen that the party which stands for protecting
and safeguarding the rights of the people is itself standing on the
way of the rights of the people. The activities and work of the
party in this regard shows that it is trying to follow the same path
as the earlier government.

The party's performance and stability depends on the

support base of the party. The results of the Assembly polls of
December 1994, Lok Sabha Polls of 1996 and 1998 shows that the
SSP's hold among the upper caste Nepalese vote bank has
remained intact. In the upper caste dominated district of the East,
SSP won 8 out of 12 seats, leaving the ruling party with only four
seats. However, the Assembly results of 1994, 1999 in the south
and west districts shows that the SDF has the support base of the
Most Backward Class which includes Rai 1 Gurung 1 Manger etc. and
the other communities like Tamang, Limboo, Bhutia etc. The
election report of 1994 clearly indicates that the backward OBC
and Tribal communities fully supported the SDF and the upper
caste Nepali communities supported the Bhandari led SSP.

Page\342
 SDF is a cadre based political party which is well organised
at the grassroots level. Panchayat Wards in rural Sikkim is 873 in
total, out of which SDF controls 850 wards. This is possible
because the panchayat level election in Sikkim is based on party
line since 1997. This however, seems unfit in the democratic
setup. Free and fair election is absent. The candidates contesting
for panchayat election do not freely contest the election. The fear
of not being selected as party candidate always occupies their
mind. The candidates contesting as independents always come to
a compromise at the end of the day. And not to forget the
panchayat's gets elected from the ruling party leaving Jess choice
to the people.

In recent years attention has been given more on people's

participation by ensuring direct involvement of the citizens in the
matters of governance. It is seen as an attempt of empowering the
people to fight for day to day struggles for better life of the people.
The same attempt has been made by SDF by the slogan "Janta
Raja in Janta Raj". The party came up with the slogan of "JANTA
KO RAJ MA JANTAI RAJA"- In popular regime people are sovereign.
The party president Pawan Chamling believes in involving the
people directly so that the ordinary people can have a greater say
and a decisive voice. This is a democracy not from top to bottom
but from the bottom to top. He calls this as grassroots democracy.
He considers participatory democracy not as just desirable but
necessary for making a responsive and accountable government.

The SDF got mass support though the SSP was an organised
party in the state. The loyalty of the followers of SSP slowly faded
as the leaders failed to fulfil their aspirations and expectations.
This threatened the SSP's hold in the state. The other party SDF
had intense connection with their followers, and face to face

Page\343
contact with the masses are made. A Study of the support base of
the SDF shows that it attracts voters across the social and
economic spectrum. Nar Bahadur Bhandari was considered to be
the most popular political leader in Sikkim but Pawan Chamling
achieved massive personal popularity in the Assembly elections of
1994, 1999, 2004 and 2009. Chamling's support was stronger in
rural areas of mostly south and west district. Chamling's response
to popularity and support base was due to the broadening of his
schemes and policies that would make Sikkim more developed and
modern. The slogan "Khali Khutte Sarkar"(Bare footed
government) projected him as the leader of the poor. When we
look at the reasons for the emergence of new political parties, the
new parties attract popular support by appealing the voter's who
do not have loyalties for the existing party. In the same manner
the SDF has been able to mobilise and appeal the voters to
support the party.

Despite the fact that the SDF government has made many
developmental achievements during its reign but we cannot ignore
the fact that it has some loopholes. We have talked about
corruption among the politicians and bureaucrats during the earlier
government. Similar corruption is now to be found in the Zilla
Panchayat's, Gram Panchayat units, youth and women
organisations as well. The SDF government claims that it has been
able to decentralise power and transfer more funds to the
panchayat's but the party fails to realise that the decentralisation
of power and the transfer of funds has widened the base of
corruption and the public funds meant for pro- poor people are
being misused due to the party base Zilla and Gram Panchayat
elections.

Page \344
 The SDF government in the name of development of
different communities of Sikkim recognised six dialects spoken by
six Nepali ethnic groups as official languages of the state: Mangar,
Rai 1 Gurung 1 Sherpa, Tamang and Newari in May 1995. The
government decided to grant Rupees 50,000 to each language for
further development. This was criticised by the former Chief
Minister who held that the government is trying to disintegrate the
Nepali community since efforts of this kind will further split these
groups on ethnic lines. He further added that Chamling has
created divisions among the people.

Hence, it can be finally assumed that the people of Sikkim

always preferred a regional party in Sikkim. However, the former
Chief Minister, President of the State Unit of the Congress (I), Nar
Bahadur Bhandari feels that the people are tired of a regional
party. The people are fed up with the regional political parties,
which is involved in corruption and casteism. Though Pawan
Cham ling belongs to the MBC category, there are some members ·
in his party who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste
and Upper Castes. However, the Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex
Committee (SIBLAC) earlier supported the SDF but now backs the
Congress (I). Tsheten Tashi Bhutia, former Convenor of SIBLAC
and a SDF member said that the committee is supporting the
Congress (I) because the party alone will be able to protect Article
371(f). SIBLAC is also opposed to the opening of Nathula Trade on
the Chinese border, until "the rights of the ethnic community of
Sikkim are protected".

Pawan Chamling also worked for the inclusion of two Nepali

group's viz. Tamang and Limboo into the list of Scheduled Tribes.
There was resentment among the Bhutia and Lepcha's, the ethnic
tribe's of Sikkim. Lepcha's are the original inhabitants of Sikkim

Page\345
but with the establishment of monarchy in Sikkim, Bhutia's
became the second ethnic group in Sikkim. These two groups
(tribal's) were not ready to share their rights and privileges with
the other two new tribal groups-Tamang and Limboo's. Despite
this the party did not fail to get the support from the tribal's who
constitute about 20% in the state who had been traditionally
supporting the Congress (I).

The SDF had worked for the development of the agricultural

sector and opened Cooperative banks for granting agricultural
loans to the farmers and support the rural people in the increase
of production and productivity of vegetables, fruits, flowers and
other cash crops in the state. The party gave agriculture the status
of industry. It also ensured that the villages would produce market
and distribute all kinds of agricultural products in a scientific and
profitable manner. The achievements made in the food-grains
production during three years tenure of SDF rule was 1,05,000
tones in 1994-1995, it increased to 1,08,000 tones in· 1995-1996,
and 1,07,000 tones in 1996-1997 (Govt. of Sikkim, Department of
Information and Public Relations, 1997). The government under
the SDF established a new board- Agriculture Department and
Farmers' Welfare Board in 1995 which guided the agriculture
department to accelerate the newly oriented programme for the
farmers to improve their living.

The government also gave importance to industry as the key

sector from where the economic growth in the state can be
accelerated. SDF government implemented certain measures and
policies towards the development of the industrial sector in
Sikkim. The party helped the villagers and young people to stay in
the villages instead of migrating to urban areas in search of better

Page\346
livelihood. Village level agro-based industry was started to give
employment facilities to the people.

In 1996, it formulated a new industrial policy to speed up

industrial development and generate employment opportunities. In
1997, the Department under the present government granted 96
numbers of permanent legislation to small scale industries and tiny
industries. Fifteen year Master Plan perspective on tourism was
prepared in 1997 which covered a period from 1977-1978 to
2011-2012. The plan emphasized on the development of three
independent tourist destinations within the state to speed up the
economic growth in the rural areas.

The party promised to make Sikkim 'A happy Sikkim and

New Sikkim' by restoring democracy in the state, provide basic
freedom to the people, give wider choices to the people in the
decision making of the state and make Sikkim a self-sufficient and
a producing state.. From the mass following which the SDF have ··
··--~ . ·-.
achieved in the state it appears that despite of 1ts limitations the
SDF government had been able to fulfil many promises which it
had made during the time of elections or otherwise for which
people had continuously supported it.

Page \ 347
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Pagej351
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Pagel354
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Pagel359
'Capacity Building and Skill Development Programmes for SC & ST',
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Pagel360
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Pagej361
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Express, October 25-November 2.

'The Rai's react,' 1990. Sikkim Observer, Vol. V, No.12, October, 13.

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15.

Pagel362
 Annexure 1
Schedule
(Party Supporters/Voters)
1. Age 2. Sex: Male/ Female
2. To what Community, Caste, Tribe do you belong?
3. Total family members:
4. Are you literate?
5. Occupation:
6. How many earning members are there in your family:
7. Do you posses any land?
8. If yes, what is the size of your landholding?
9. What do yopu produce in the piece of land?
10. What is the source of Income and how much do you earn per
month?
11. Why do you support the SDF?
12. How have you benefited from the SDF and the SDF led
government?
13. What have the party/SDF government done for you?
14. Are you satisfied with the performance of the government in the
state? Why?
15. Why dent you support the other political parties in the state?
16. How good are the leaders of the party?
17. Do the leaders and the activists of the party meet you frequently or
do they come only during elections?
18. During the elections what do the leaders tell you? What promise do
they make?

Page Ii
 Schedule
(Party Activists/Members)
1. Age 2. Sex:Male/ Female
2. To what Community, Caste, Tribe do you belong?
3. Total family members:
4. Are you literate?
5. What position do you hold in the party?
6. Occupation:
7. How many earning members are there in your family:
8. Do you posses any land?
9. What do yopu produce in the piece of land?
10. What is the source of Income and how much do you earn per
month?
11. Do you earn anything from the party?
12. Why do you support the SDF?
13. How have you benefited from the SDF and the SDF led
government?
14. What have the party/SDF government done for you?
15. Are you satisfied with the performance of the government in the
state? Why?
16. Why dont you support the other political parties in the state?
17. Have you ever contested the elections for the party? If not do you
want to contest elections?
18. How are your leaders?
19. What work do you do throughout the year for the party?
20. What work do you have and do during the elections?

Page I ii
 Annexure 2

SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT

Constitution
1. NAME
The name of the Party organisation shall be "SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC
FRONT" hereinafter referred to as S.D.F.
2. REGISTERED HEAD OFFICE
The registered Head Office of the S.D.F. shall be at GANGTOK, SIKKIM.
3. FLAG
The flag of S.D.F shall be a tri-colour and of rectangular size. The colour
of the flag shall be Sky Blue at the Top, Golden Yellow at the middle and
Blood Red at the bottom which will all be of equal size.
4. SYMBOLIC MEANING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE FLAG
(a) The Sky Blue at the top symbolises determination, progress and
national integration.
(b) The Golden Yellow symbolises purity, sacrifice and humanity.
(c) The Blood Red symbolises auspiciousness, social change, courage
and liberty.
5. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
S.D.F. is a Political Party within the meaning and provisions of the
Representation of Peoples' (Amendment) Act 1988 and the aims and
objectives of the Party shall be as follows:-
(a) S.D.F. shall bear true faith and allegiance to the sacred
Constitution of India as by law established and to the principles of
Socialism and Democracy and shall uphold the Sovereignty, Unity
and Integrity of the Indian Union.
(b) It shall fight to uphold the political, social and economic rights and
privileges of the people of Sikkim as provided under the Indian
Constitution.
(c) It shall strive hard for the uplift of the socially and economically
backward sections of people of Sikkim.
(d) S.D.F. shall work ceaselessly to promote peace, progess and
communal harmony amongst the people of Sikkim and shall make
utmost endeavour to promote fraternity, tolerance and harmony
with all other communities of our coundtry.
(e) The party is committed to give equal opportunities to all Sikkimese
people and shall ceaselessly work for the emancipation and uplift
of Sikkimese women and other sections of oppressed people.
(f) The Party shall be ever ready to fight against all forces that
threaten to disrupt the unity and integrity of the nation.
(g) While giving due recognition to the principle of human dignity, this
Party shall pledge to fight against all kinds of injustice and
inequality prepetrated on ground of caste, creed, colour, religion
and gender.
(h) The Party shall specially not yield back from working for the
interests and welfare of the backward and depressed communities,
constitutional rights of the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and
other Backward Classes and security and prosperity of the entire
Sikkimese people.
(i) The Party is committed to uphold, preserve and promote the age-
old traditons, customs and rich cultural heritage of different ethnic

Page liii
 communities of the State who have been living in perfect
communal harmony down the ages.
(j) The Party holds endudring faith in the "Son of Sikkim" policy and
sincerely safeguard the interests of the Sikkimes people.
(k) S.D.F. shall tirelessly wage a struggle against poverty, illiteracy
and internal backwardness in the State and work justly for the
poor and depressed people of Sikkim.
(I) The Party is predetermined to bring upon improvement in the
existing situation in Sikkim and will resort to all possible means to
raise the average conditions of Sikkimese of all levels so as to
make them educationally, socially and, above all, economically
self-reliant and self-sufficient.
6. ADMISSION INTO PARTY
The membership of the Sikkim Democratic Front is open to:-
(a) Any Indian citizen who is a Sikkimese and has attained the age of 18
years and who is not guilty of any kind of social, political or economic
offence or associated with crime.
(b) Persons who are not enlisted members of any other Political Party,
and who believe in the policies and objectives of the S.D.F. Party and
respect its rules and regulations and proclamation.
7. MEMBERSHIP OF THE PARTY
Two types of membership forms have to be filled up viz:
(A) Primary Membership and (B) Active Memebrship
(a) Persons having firm faith and belief in the rules and regulations,
policies, aims and objectives of the Sikkim Democratic Front and who
fulfill conditions as stipulated under 6(a) and (b) above shall be
considered eligible for Primary Membership of the Party irrespective
of sex, caste, creed and religion.
(b) Interested persons fulfilling the following conditions shall be
considered eligible for Active Membership:-
i. He/She must have been a Primary Member of the Party for a
period of at least one year.
ii. He/She must have been actively involved in the
implementation of the policies and programmes of the party.
iii. The President of the Party can, in the interest of the Party, use
his discretionary power to confer Active Membership to such
Party wokers who are committed to the objectives of the Party
and who are working sincerely as per the directives of the
President.
8. MEMBERSHIP FEES
Those qualifying for Primary Membership of the Party shall have to pay
membership fee of Rs. 5/- (Rupees Five) only per year and have to renew
their membership by 31 5 t January every year.
9. Active Members of the party shall have to pay a membership fee of Rs.
151, (Rupees one hundred fifty one) only per year and have to renew their
membership by 31st January every year.
10. The Central Working Committee can also make alternative arrangements
to exempt those members who are economically weak from paying the
Active Membership Fees.
11. TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP
{a) The President of the S.D.F. Party on his own or the Central Working
Committee can terminate the membership of a person if he or she is
found engaged in anti-party activities or guilty for serious breach of
discipline.

Pageliv
 (b) Any member can resign from the Party membership by giving the
Presidnt of 30 days' prior notice in writing to make his intention
known.
(c) Those who fail to pay the membership fees will also lose their
membership of the Party.
12. EXPULSION PRECEDURE
On receipt of any complaint against any member, Primary or Active, or
Office Bearer/bearers of various Committees of the S.D.F. Party of their
involvement in anti-party activities or breach of discipline, the President on
his won can initiate investigtion or constitute an Enquiry Commission to
look into the complaint. President shall have power to initiate action on
his own and it is not mandatory for him to set up an Enquiry Commission.
If the Enquiry Commission or the President finds the person or persons
guilty of the offence reported upon after going through his explanation the
President will have the power to place the member under suspension or
demand resignation or terminate him from the Party membership.
13. COMMITTEES
S.D. F. shall have the following Committees:-
(a) All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee
(b) Central Working Committee
(c) District Committees
(d) Constituency Level Committees
{e) Block Level Committees

14, FRONTS
S.D. F. Party shall have the following frontal organisations which shall be
under the direct control of the Party President. Each frontal organisation
must have a Convenor to be appointed by the President himself and all
these frontal organistions shall work directly under the President:-
{a) Women's Wing (e) Cultivators' Front
(b) Youth Front (f) Scheduled Tribe Welfare Front
(c) Student's Front (g) Ex-Servicemen Front
(d) Labour Front (h) Scheduled Cast Welfare Front
15. These frontal organisations will act as the bridge between the masses and
the Party and present the demand and views of public before the Party
and convey the policies and programmes of the Party to the people.
16. All Sikkim Democratic Front Committees will have sixteen hundred
members including the members of the Central Working Committee. The
Committees shall meet at least once in a year and such meetings will be
convened, conducted and presided over by the Party President. The
meeting, besides self-analysing the role of the Party, can also bring
necessary amendment or improvement in its policies as per the need of
the changing time. Attending this meeting by all concerned members
should be deemed compulsory.
17. The Party President may convene an emergency meeting of the Front
Committee.
18. Their Will be 1600 members in the All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee
including the President, Vice President, General Secretary, Office Bearers,
50 members each from different constituency besides Office Bearers of the
Central Working Committee.
19. CENTRAL WORKING COMMITTEE AND OFFICE BEARERS
The Central Working Committee shall have the following Office Bearers:-
{a) President 01
(b) Vice-President 08
{c) General Secretary 10
(d) Joint Secretary 10

Page lv
 (e) Publicity Secretary OS
(f) Tresurer 01
(g) Assistant Treasurer 01
(h) 2 Representatives each from each district 08
(i) Executive members 14
Total 58
The Central Working Committee shall consist of representatives from among the
members of the All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee. The President shalt
head the Committee and shall have the special power to nominate members for
the C.W .C.
20. All the meetings of the Central Working Committee shall be convened and
presided over by the President and in his absence by the Vice President.
21. The Central Working Committee shall meet at least once in three months.
However, under special circumstances the President may convene an
emergancy meeting of the Committee at any point of time giving only 24
hours notice to each member.
GENERAL CONVENTION OF THE PARTY
22. The General Convention of the Party shall be the highest assembly body of
the Party which shall take various important decisions and also elect the
President of the Party. The General Convention is held once in every five
years.
THE PARTY CONVENTION
23. The Party Convention is held once in every two years. The Central
Working Committee takes the decision to hold the Party Convention and
makes all the necessary arrangements.
POWER AND FUNCTIONS OF THE CWC
24. The responsibility of formulating all policies of the Party and
acomplishment of its aims and objectives shall rest on the Central Working
Committee.
25. C.W.C. shall make necessary amendments to the prevalent rules and
regulations in pursuance ofthe policies ofthe Party.
26. C.W.C. will be responsible in providing necessary guidance to the entire
working of the Party and maintenance and enforcement of discipline within
the Party.
27. It shall prepare the Annual Report of the All Sikkim Democratic Front
Committee and present the same for the approval of the Front Committee
and keep a strict watch on the functioning of the party.
28. C. W .C. shall be respsonsible for the conduct of the day-to-day affairs of
the Party besides ensuring smooth functioning and maintenance of
necessary discipline within the party.
DISSOLUTION OF THE CENTRAL WORKING COMMITTEE
29. The Central Working Committee shalt hold office fo a term of 5 years. The
President can also make additions and alteration or prematurely dissolve
the Committee in the greater interest of the Party.
PRESIDENT - POWER AND FUNCTIONS
30. The President shall convene and preside over all the meetings of the All
Sikkim Democratic Front Committee and Central working Committee.
31. The President shall cast a vote in case of a tie in the meetings of the All
Sikkim Democratic Front Committee and Central Working Committee.

Page [vi
32. He shall nominate all the Office Bearers of the Central Working Committee
and also decide the number of such Office Bearers of the Party if
necessary.
33. He shall appoint the Office Bearers of the District Committees.
34. The President shall have power to appoint or withdraw appointment of
Office Bearers of the Central Working Committee, District Working
Committee or any other Committees as and when occassion demands.
35. The President shall have the power to remove or suspend any Office
Bearer of Bearers of the Central Working Committee or District Working
Committees to safeguard the interst of the Party.
36. In order to give precedence to the interest of the Party, the President can
also constitute any Committee or Committees in addition to the existing
ones.
37. The President shall have the power to bring any District or Block Level
Committees under his direct control and supervision to achieve certain
positive goals that warrant such action on his part.
38. The President shall give proper direction to all the Sikkimese people
through various positive activities embodied in the policies and
programmes or the Party.· The President can express his views on national
issues by remaining within the framework of declared policies and
programmes of the Party.
RESIGNATION OF THE PRESIDENT
39. In keeping with the norms and spirit of democracy, the President shall be
at liberty to tender his resignation without assigning any reason
whatsoever. In the event of such situation he shall hand over his
resignation to the Vice President of the Party. The President shall,
however, always be eligible for reelection to his post if he so desires.
REMOVAL OF THE PRESIDENT
40. The President may be removed from his office by the All Sikkim
Democratic Front Committee by tabling a motion of no-confidence by two-
third of its members present at the voting.
41. A month's prior notice must be served upon the President by at least one-
third of the members of the All Sikkim Democratic Front Committee in this
connection.
Vice President
42. In the absence of the President of the Party, the Vice President/Vice
Presidents shall perform his duties and exercise all the powers due to the
President. Vice Presidents are appointed by the President.
GENERAL SECRETARY
43. The President shall nominate or appoint General Secretaries for the Party
who shall supervise the affairs of the Party as per the directives of the
President of the Party.
44. General Secretary/General Secretaries shall have the custody of all the
relevant documents pertaining to the PartY. It shall be the responsibility
of the General secretaries to conduct all the Party meetings in consultation
with the President besides preparing of minutes and proceedings of all
meetings and dealing with all correspondences and communications of the
Party. The General Secretaries are vested with the power to inspect,
supervise and, if occassion demands to protect the interest of the Party,
even intervene, in consultation with the President, all activities pertaining
to the affairs of the District, Constituency and Block Level Committees of

Page !vii
 the Party. There shall be one General Secretary in the head office of'the
Party.
45. JOINT SECRETARY
The President shall appoint Joint Secretary/Secretaries for the Party who
shall function as Assistants to the General Secretary of the Party. There
shall be one Joint Secretary in the head office of the Party.
46. PUBLICITY SECRETARY
The President shall appoint Secretary whose supreme task shall be to
publicise the policies and the programmes of the Party to the fullest extent
possible. It shall be the responsibility of the Publicity
Secretary/Secretaries to keep the general public posted and informed of
all Party activities aimed at advancing the cause of the people as
envisaged in the Manifesto ofthe Party.
47. ADVISORY BOARD
The President shall constitute an Advisory Board consisting of senior
politicians, intellectuals and retired bureaucrats which shall have 7 to 15
members and function as a part and parcel of the Party to advise and
counsel the President in all matters related to the Party. The Board of
Advisors shall, however, under no circumstances, seek to impose their
views on the President.
48. THE PARLIAMENTARY BOARD
The President of the Party reserves the right to function as Chairman of
the Parliamentary Board. He can also appoint any other member of
members but its is not mandatory for him to appoint more members in the
Parliamentary Board and his decis'1on shall be finaL
LEGAL CELL
49. A Legal Cell shall be constituted to look after all aspects of legal matters
pertaining to the party. The President shall appoint a qualified lawyer as
the Legal Secretary of the Party.
50. TREASURER
The Treasure shall be the custodian of the Party Fund and shall be
responsible for maintenance of its accounts. He shall have the power to
open Bank account in respect of the Party Fund with any nationalised bank
of Sikkim. The Treasurer shall prepare annual statements of accounts of
the Party in consultation with the President and place the same before the
All Slkkim Democratic Front Committee and the Central Working
Committee for their information and persual. He shall have the power to
keep cash in hand not exceeding Rs. 2000/- (Rupees Two Thousand) only
to meet the day to day expense of the Party.
The Treasurer will be solely responsible for the maintenance of the Party
Fund.
51. DISTRICT WORKING COMMITTEES
There shall be District Committee for each distric of the State with
following Office Bearers:-
(a) District President 1
(b) District Vice President 2
(c) District General Secretary 1
(d) District Joint Secretary 1
(e) District Publicity Secretary 1
(f) District Treasurer 1
(g) District Executive Members 25
DISTRICT PRESIDENT AN-D DISTRICT COMMITTEE
52. The President shall appoint the District President. The oth_er Office Bearers
of the District Committee shall be appointed by the President of the Party

Pagelviii
 in consultation with the Central Working Committee and the District
President. The District Working Committee shall hold offfice for a period of
three years. The President shall have the power to prematurely dissolve
the District Committees without assigning any reasons thereof.
DISTRICT WORKING COMMITTEE- POWER AND FUNCTIONS
53. District Working Committee shall look after the functions and organisation
of the Party falling under its jurisdiction (district).
54. It shall constitute Block Level Committees throughout the district in
consultation with the Central Working Committee.
55. It shall prepare and safely keep the District Level documents of the Party.
56. District working Committee will carry out the orders and directives of the
Central Working Committee and maintain and adhere to the Party
discipline in the district.
57. It may, in consultation with the President of the Party, constitute Town or
Constitutency Committees to facilitate the management of Party affairs.
58. It shall submit all the applications seeking membership of the Party to the
President ans solicit his approval.
59. It shall renew the membership of the Party in consultation with the Central
Working Committee and also collect the anual membership fees by issuing
proper receipts.
60. District Working Committee will meet once in every two months.
Attending such meetings by one-third members of the District Working
Committee should be deemed compulsory.
CONSTITUENCY LEVEL COMMITTEE
61. There shall be Constituency Level Committee in the Party. The President
shall appoint the head of this Committee in consultation with the
respective District Presidents of the Party. Since the total number of
members of this Committee will be based on the number of Block Level
Committes of each constituency. The District Committees shall present
picture before the Party President.
BLOCK LEVEL COMMITTEE
62. There shall be Block Level Committees thorughout the rural areas of
Sikkim. Each Block Committee will have the following Office Beares:-
(a) President 1
(b) Vice President 2
(c) Secretary 2
(d) Joint Secretary 4
(e) Treasurer 1
(f) Executive Members 20

63. The District Working Committee shall constitute the Block Level Committee
in consultation with the Central Working Committee. Block Level
Committee will hold office for a term of 2 years unless dissloved
prematurely by the District Committee for valid reasons.
64. S.D.F. Party will bring out periodicals and other publications besides
weekly Party mouth peice to apprise the people about the policies and
programmes of the Party and also to educate and inform the masses about
a number of things.

Pagelix
AMENDMENTS OF THE CONSTITUTION
65. The Constitution can be amended with the consent and approval of the
report of the Review Committee, constituted by the Party President, and
shall be approved by the Central Working Committee.

(ADOPTED AND APPROVED DURING THE MEETING OF CENTRAL

WORKING COMMITTEE INCLUDING MEMBERS OF SDF LEGISLATURE
PARTY HELD ON AUGUST 23, 1996)

Page lx
 Annexure 3
12th LOK SABHA ELECTION MANIFESTO (SDF)-
1998
A MESSAGE FROM THE PARTY PRESIDENT

As the S.D.F Party, since its inception, has been waging are relentless battle
against repression and subjugation perpetrated against the Sikkimese people
and have since succeeded in commendable measure to guarantee all democratic
rights and privileges to the people, I am extremely confident that the people's
valued mandate, as in the past, will surely tilt heavily in favour of the SDF Party
to make our opponents eat the dust. Since the very beginning, the S.D.F. Party
has stood steadfastly for the underdogs and has relentlessly fought against
injustice, corruption and fascism that once had taken a deep root in the State. I,
therefore, strongly believe that the S.D.F: Party will come out on top once again
with a massive victory at the Hosting. UMBRELLA, the Party Symbol, stands for
justice and equality and hence a symbol that is dear to the Sikkimese masses.
Once again, the time has come for the Sikkimese people to stand solidly behind
the Party Lead which stands for justice, equality and fraternity. Our former M.
P., Shri Shim Dahal- a truly dedicated party worker who is highly competent for
the post - is once again our candidate for the ensuing 12th Lok Sabha election.
We are fully confident that the Sikkimese People will send their lone MP to the
Lok Sabha with a massive mandate to easily surpass the previous one by
dropping their precious votes in favour of the symbol, "UMBRELLA" to ensure
complete victory for the Sikkimese people. With heartiest greetings for the New
Year 1998.
Pawan Cham\ing President
SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT
1. Reservation of seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for all Sikkimese
of the State will be obtained. Provisions will be sought in Parliament for
realignment of existing Constituencies of the State to ensure that the
State of Sikkim as of 2000 AD. is entitled to send at least TWO ( instead
of one that is alloted now) representatives to each of the two Houses of
Parliament namely, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, with a view to
seeking more meaningful integration of this sensitive border state with
the nation and to reaffirm our commitment to the institution of the Indian
Republic.
2. Concrete steps will be taken to ensure that the identity of each of the
three ethnicities of the State viz, Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepalese is fully
protected by resorting to means that are both legal and constitutional.
3. All caste-communities of Sikkimese Chhetri, Bahun, Newar, Jogi, Sanyasi
and Thami so far excluded from the list, will be brought in the States
mainstream with the rest by including them in the State list of OBCs in
order to ensure that equitable justice is done to all sections of the State
populace in equal measure. Thanks to the incessant efforts made by the
then sitting MP of the State in Parliament, the Central Commission for the
OBCs have already made three separate enquiries in this regard to clinch
the issue infavour of the principles involved.
4. Protection to the minority Sikkimese Bhutia and Sikkimese Lepcha and
their social, educational and economic upliftment to always remain an

Pagelxi
 article of faith with the S.D. F Party, while their constitutional rights and
cultural aspirations will be fully appreciated, respected and safeguarded.
The centuries old customs and traditions that are in themselves distinctly
unique and peculiar to the Tribals of the North District will be preserved
and safeguarded at all cost.
5. The constitutional rights and privileges that accrue from it to all
Sikkimese tribals and the Scheduled Castes in the State to remain fully
protected and safeguarded.
6. All efforts will be made on the floor of the Parliament to prevent the
extension of Direct Central Taxes to the State of Sikkim in that Sikkim
has its own Tax Laws formulated in 1948, which, in the spirit and text of
May 8 Agreement of 1973, has a right to remain recognized under the
aegis of Article 371F of the constitution that was inserted at the time of
Sikkim merger to make some special provisions relating to the
administration of Sikkim.
7. Since only 13% of the total land area of the State is arable for
agricultural purposes, Sikkim is permanently faced with the prospect
resource crunch on the food front. To compensate for this daunting
disadvantage, massive Central aids for an all-round development of
tourism and its infrastructures to be expeditiously sought from the
benign government at the Centre.
8. A University of its own to be set up in Sikkim to bring all educational
institutions in the State under its aegis.
9 Sikkimese Limbu, Tamang and the Gurung to be included in the State list
of Tribals while ensuring their own set of seat reservation in the State
Assembly by suitably raising the issue on the floor of the Parliament for
consideration and suitable action.
10 The Bhutia, Lepcha and the Limbu languages to be further developed and
steps to be taken to ensure their inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the
Constitution, Concrete steps to be taken to set up appropriate institutes
for research and development of literatures related to all recognized
languages at the State level like Newari, Rai, Tamang, Gurung, Mangar,
Sunuwar and Sherpa.
11. The existing Centre for research on Buddhism in the State to be provided
with fullest scope and facilities for intensive research work, with all
financial help coming from the benign Centre, so that it may emerge as
the major centre of authority on Buddhism in the country.
12. Air-link with the rest of the country to be established by setting up an
airport and air service to be regularized to link the State with all
important airports of the country. The unreliability of the existing
National Highway 31 A, particularly during the rains has been recognized
on principle by the Government at the Centre. Based on this, the Centre
will be persuaded to concede our demand for an alternative route linking
Sikkim with the neighboring West Bengal without let or hindrance.
13. The quota of seat reservation allocated for the students of Sikkim
aspiring to pursue higher studies both academic and technological in
institutions located in the advanced States of the country to be sought
for suitable enhancement wherever such facilities exist. 50% Job
reservation for Sikkimese candidates in all offices and establishments
under the Central Government in Sikkim to be sought with a view to
providing jobs for our educated unemployed youths of the State.

Pagelxii
 14. Sikkimese women from all sections of the populace will be given their
due place in society while their rights, privileges and status will be
protected and justice will be brought to them in all spheres of activities
social, political and economic. The rights and privileges of employee
fraternity to be fully protected and promoted; rights, privileges and
function of the Panchayats and their members to be respected, protected
and promoted. The rights and privileges due to all business communities
in the State will be given due weightage to promote their wellbeing and
interests.
15. Request will be made to the Government at the Centre to totally stop
sending lAS, IPS and IFS deputinists to Sikkim as we are trying our level
best to raise the rank and file of the above cadres inside Sikkim itself.
Meaningful steps have already been taken in this direction with gratifying
results in the offing as we have succeeded in reducing the prescribed
quota to some extent.
16. Sikkim as an underdeveloped State will be brought under a special
category because of its late entry into the comity of States in the
Republic of India. Under this special category, the Government at the
Centre will be requested to provide development funds for the State in
such a manner that the annual allotment for every successive year is
increased in volume for the duration of next 50 years. Owing to Sikkim's
late entry into the mainstream, the demand that Sikkim should be
facilitated with more funds for development than those allocated to the
North-Eastern States shall be driven home with increased vigor and
determination.
17. Sick industries will be scrapped or revived as the case may be deemed
fit, those in health to be provided with full impetus for their growth, while
the Centre will be approached to finance the infrastructures for viable
industry I industries to generate much needed employment
opportunities.
18. The rich heritage of Sikkim's varied culture vested in her ancient
monasteries, temples, churches and other sacred institutions like the
"Mang-Him" and other places of historical as well as mythical significance
Will be duly protected and preserved by obtaining suitable assistance,
both financial and technological, from the Archaeological Department of
India.
19. The task of setting up a State Television Centre for featuring Sikkim's
own independent programmes to be expedited.
20. In order to boost agricultural production, a separate budget over and
above the prescribed allocation of State fund, will be had from the
Centre. "'
21. An academy for games and sports for the youths of Sikkim to be
established along with a Recording Studio equipped with the latest.
gadgets and know-how to facilitate those who are musically and
artistically inclined.
· 22. An orphanage centre at the State level for Sikkimese destitute and
orphans will be set up along with 'Home for the old and the decrepit' with
the help of suitable grants obtainable from the Centre.

Pagelxiii
 Annexure 4
Panchayat Manifesto 2002
MANIFESTO
We have the following resolutions which will be the corner stone on which our
true democracy Will flourish -on which you the people of Sikkim will have a full
say in which way you will make our future wonderful for us all. We now seek
your cooperation and your vote- your mandate will ensure that we have the
right to make the Government for the people and of the people work for you -
day in and day out.
1. All Government decisions will be done after due consultations with the
Panchayats. This participatory approach is all about seeking to bring the
voice of the people into the main stream of thinking when it comes to
taking decisions for rural development.
2. In every gram Panchayat and ward the Panchayats will be empowered to
decide on the plan as well as to implement and to maintain. This
responsibility will have to be shouldered by the Gram Panchayats.
3. At the Zilla level the Panchayats will participate in the District Committees.
This will enable them to debate on the district plans and programs, which
directly affect the people - both at the District and the wards. The SDF
party's principle is to involve the grass root people's need and thinking and
this and this will enable them to have their voice heard in the planning and
development process.
4. SDF party always wanted to strengthen the Panchayats who look after the
villages and the village people and so 10 percent of the Government
Budget is being devolved to the Panchayats - this will continue to be
strengthened and will be raised to 30 percent in due course.
5. The Panchayats will help and identify those marginalized true Sikkimese
people who are not in possession of Sikkim Subject certificate but have
other genuine means of identification like receipt of Dhuri Khazana, land
revenue receipt, Dada Parcha etc -for them domicile certificate or
identification certificate will be issued ..
6. SDF party wants all work of villages to be done by the villagers themselves
and it to be of good quality and timely execution of the same. In order to
achieve this aim all public works of Rs. 5 Lakhs was being decided and
work done by the Panchayats in the villagesand wards. This will be raised
to Rs. 10 Lakhs and will be done only on the recommendation of the Gram
Sabhas.
7. All Government institutions like the Primary- schools, PHSC, VLO centre,
library, Community Information centres, rural tourism, minor irrigation
works, community centres, grounds for sports etc will be handed over to
the Gram Panchayats both for their running and maintenance.
8. Restoration of democracy has been the greatest achievement of our party.
But in order to institutionalize this process we have to accelerate the same
at the grassroots level through the Panchayati Raj institutions. The
Panchayats will play an active and proactive role in this by fighting forces
of exploitation, suppression and corruption. And in order to achieve this
they will educate the rural people and masses to make them aware of their
rights and responsibilities.

PJgelxiv
9. The grass roots people of Sikkim had never really recognized their own
strength - our party has been able to deliver this to them and enlighten
them about their own strength and indeed their ability. The Panchayats
will be responsible to the people and to further educate and enlighten
them about their intrinsic strength and capabilities. Trusting their wisdom
has been our centrepiece in our development strategy. Hence our own
initiative in fostering the Panchayat election on party lines.
10. Women upliftment and empowerment is a key to development and
recognized by our party. We will ensure that they will get reservation as
weir as the opportunity to perform many of the critical functions in the
running of the Panchayats. We have given them 33 percent reservation in
the Panchayat elections and 30 percent in job reservations. All facilities
will be further extended to them. Our party has been able to abolish the
social, political and economic discrimination of our women - and this
campaign will be further strengthened by the active cooperation of the
Panchayats.
11. The voice of the people will be brought to the mainstream administration by
the Panchayats. They are the link between the administration and the
people especially in the area of development. The Panchayats will be
directly responsible to the people. The SDF's President's thinking about the
people being the masters must be played out by the Panchayats in this
fashion.
12. The rural people will be fully supported in production and in the increase in
productivity of vegetables, fruits, flowers and other cash crops. This will be
facilitated by the Panchayats, which will include the element of marketing
linkage. In this way they will be made to be more self-reliant, self
sufficient and sustainable. Then there is this issue where our goal is to
make every person a producer of goods and services. We have to make
everyone productive- they should be producers and not consumers. When
every Sikkimese becomes a producer with high levels of productivity then
and then only will Sikkim truly become selfsufficient. In this the Panchayat
member will be the key catalyst to ensure that there is increase in the
production of village produce like fruits, vegetables, flowers and other cash
crops. Panchayats Will come forward and help the cultivators and our rural
producers to increase their productivity and make them self-reliant.
Further,they must also help them find the marketing channels and seek to
make such services a part of their daily routine.
13. There is a growing tendency toward urbanization and that is that villagers
and especially the young people are moving toward the cities. This trend
has had an adverse impact to the rural economy and the healthy growth of
the village. It has also exacerbated the unemployment problem as well as
leading to congestion of the cities. There is an urgent need to reverse this
trend and one way is to create the right opportunity at the village level as
well as to embark on a proactive approach to helping youth to stay in the
village. Panchayats must play the stellar role that this action demands.
14. One of the ways to help the villages and young people to stay in the
villages is to start Village level industry. Agro based industry is one which
can easily find a place. Hence the Panchayats willplay the role of bringing
such new thinking into the villages and ensure that more such industry are
set up in the villages. The Government will continue to support such
initiatives.
15. Panchayats will now play an important role and be responsible for
Government initiated development policies and programs. The villages

Page lxv
 through these programs will get huge opportunities to set up industries in
their respective areas. Poultry & piggery farming, fisheries, rearing of
livestock like cattle, goats, bee-keeping and rabbits are some of the
projects which can be taken up by the villagers with the help and guidance
of the Panchayats.
16. Agriculture will be given the status of industry. Steps will be taken up by
the Panchayats to ensure that villages will produce, market and distribute
all kinds of agriculture produce in a scientific and profitable manner - this
will ensure that most farmers can go for such profitable ventures. The
progressive farmers will be given all necessary inputs so that productivity
can be increased. Once agricultural production is maximized then this can
be given the status of industry. The Panchayats must help the farmers
realize this and go for farming in this way. Panchayats will be responsible
for selecting the beneficiaries.
17. The Gram Sabha as an institution is going to play a key role in the decision
making process of the villages and in village level work. The
recommendation of the Gram Sabha will be necessary for all work to be
carried out including choosing of beneficiaries for Government programs
and schemes. No development work can be started without the permission
of the Gram Sabha - and in the gram Sabhas the Panchayats will ensure
that women, elderly people and people from weaker sections are well
represented.
18. In order to develop the village economy the cooperative movement and its
underlying principles will play a key role. The Panchayats will make this a
integral part of the planning and execution process in the Villages. For this
the Village level cooperative movement and collective leadership will be
fostered and strengthened by the Panchayats.
19. Collection of land revenue will be the responsibility of the Panchayats.
20. During any form of land tranSaction like buying and selling the panchayats
will ensure full vigilance and their recommendation taken. They will
safeguard the land of the village and see that the purchase transaction is
done between local people only.
21. The Panchayats will have the responsibility of giving recommendation for
the issuance of domicile and trade license. This is to safeguard the
innocent villagers from exploitation.
22. A Janata Bhawan will be constructed in Gangtok for the benefit of the rural
poor who have to visit the capital to carry out their personal work. This will
provide clean and cheap accommodation for our rural poor.
23. The Panchayats are going to be proactive in the harnessing of our youth
power and use their youthful energy for the building of a strong village
centric economic and social base. Their creative, innovative talent in
music, art, drama, handicrafts, literature, sports and in science and
technology will have to be exploited and encouraged. A regional board will
be set up to spot talent of this nature so that the Government can provide
them stipends, scholarship and sponsorship.
24. In order to enhance our manpower development program a capacity
building fund will be established and the Panchayats will play a key role in
this.
25. Panchayats will foster more discussion and debate on a variety of issues at
the Village level. They will conduct meetings for general discussion on key
issues facing the village or people. This way they can come up with

Pagelxvi
 innovative solutions to day to day problems and other issues. This will
enhance the knowledge base and thinking power of the villagers and the
village in general.
26. Much of the Investment which will come from within India and abroad in
the form of help and grant from INGOs or NGOs will be Channelised
through the Panchayats. They will be consulted and be responsible for
proper utilization and setting up of the development schemes or industries
for the benefit of the people and the creation of jobs and employment.
27. Since Agricultural Export Zone has been notified for Chillies, flowers,
cardamom _and ginger for our State the Panchayats will go all out to help
the farmers derive the maximum benefit out of this. The value chain
involves the pre and post harvesting investment and would be a fine
example of how the farmers can benefit. In all this the Panchayats will
play a key role.
28. All Panchayats will identify in their areas genuine Sikk!mese people who
are marginalized and who do not have any land. They will ensure that
these people wH\ have access to all the facilities that the Government
provides such as \and, rural housing.
29. All Panchayats will ensure that young educated people get access to
Government support for getting into meaningful jobs or business in such
promising and potentia\ areas like tourism and services. They need to be
weaned away from bad habits like drugs, gambling, smoking, drinking,
exploitation of women and other social evils. They will ensure that they
have access to schemes like the Chief Minister's Self Employment Scheme.
All forms of gambling like Majong, pool, cards etc would not be
encouraged. Youth is our future and hence our future must be protected at
all costs. Here also they will ensure that good parenting is invoked at the
grassroots level and seeking to address the root cause for the alienation of
our youth will be addressed. Audio visual publicity and such tools for
dissemination of information would be used widely.
30. A Welfare centre for workers would be established to ensure full dignity
and respect for labourers. The Panchayats will ensure that the quality of
life of the labourers are improved in all respects.
31. All Panchayats will identify all genuine old people who are not getting old
age pension. They will ensure that the old age pension is made available
to these identified people in their wards and districts.
32. Panchayats will have to take on the responsibility of rooting out corruption.
Corruption is an evil and our enemy and a campaign to mitigate corruption
will be taken up expeditiously.
33. Panchayats will disseminate Government policy and programs and all other
relevant information to the villagers and other rural folk. They will take
this as a challenge to ensure that the rural people are fully empowered.
34. All family welfare programs will be grass root centric and this means that
the Panchayats will play a very special role in the ~oordination of these
programs in association with grass root people.
35. Grass roots people will be educated on the values of social responsibility,
which will be the plank on which village level development must stand.
The strength of Sikkim is our communal harmony as well as the peace and
tranquility of the state. This is so important is the context of our
development objectives as well as our vision. All Panchayat members will
encourage communal harmony - and the best way is to make every

Pagelxvii
 transaction transparent. The must celebrate diversity in every thing
including decision making. All Panchayats must therefore work toward a
hundred percent Sikkimese unity.
36. Preserving our environment is a major responsibility. All Panchayats will
work diligently toward this end. They will ensure that their gram
Panchayat is pollution free.
37. Panchayats will open registers to register every species in their area ~ as
to the kind and the usage especially of the medicinal variety. This way
they will also undertake to protect the biodiversity -our flora and fauna as
well as our traditional knowledge base. All of this will be done on a war
footing.
38. All Panchayats will have to preserve the traditional culture, folklore and
heritage of all segments of our society. In our tradition there is
tremendous wisdom and intelligence embedded. We must recognize this
and also take action to document this. A clear cut action plan will have to
be worked out by the Panchayats for this very important task. Our social
traditions and knowledge are also built into our Jhankris, Bijuwas,
Bungthungs, Yebas, Phedangmas, Bonpos, Paos, Nezums, Mangpas,
homes, Baidangs, Janapas etc -all of them are very important components
of our society and will need to be protected and documentation done.
Since most of this kind of practice is still very much prevalent in the rural
areas it is the bounden duty of the Panchayats to see and recognize their
usefulness and to do all that would be necessary to protect and preserve
this art and culture.
39. Panchayats will indeed also need to protect and preserve our Chautaras,
Pauwas, Oeoralis, Gufa (caves) and other holy and socially valuable
places. These are part of tradition and serve the people very effectively
even today and so they will need to be protected and also their efficacy
enhanced.
40. Panchayats will carry out tree planting in Smriti vans ~ there is going to be
one in every gram. They will make environmental plans and plans for plant
protection of species that grow specifically in their geographical location.
Plantation of a Argeli and bamboo species will also be taken up in fuJI.
41. The Panchayats in the villages will provide the marginalized, homeless,
landless and poorest of poor people all the Government facilities on
priority- these would also include children and pregnant women.
42. Those young people who are educated and unemployed wil! be helped by
the Panchayats to set up businesses and industry in their villages. They
wHI be so helped that they would weaned away from bad habits.
43. Afno Gaon Afai Banaon is a slogan of SDF and this will be carried out in
letter and spirit by the Panchayats whose duty is to carry out this task
diligently.
44. The Panchayats must utilfze all benefits and help given by the Government
very well and effectively. To this end the Panchayats will be responsible to
the people of Sikkim and more so to the village level people whom they
represent.
45. Those who do not fall under the category of OBC or SC/ST have been
given 10 percent reservation in higher education. We will continue to
strengthen this and resolve to make more facilities available especially to
the weaker sections within this class.

Pagelxviii
46. They will look after the Khasmal and Gaucharan land and take necessary
action to protect it.
47. The Panchayats will also be empowered to take action against any new faces
who may be suspicious who descend and start operating out of their
wards. Our people are very innocent and this is being taken advantage of
my many people. The identity as well as the background check wilt be
done and they will have to report such cases to the authorities and police
immediately.
48. The Government has over the last seven years and with a lot of effort
have made roads, school buildings, power plants, colleges and water
supply and all other kinds of infrastructure. In fact much more work in this
direction is going on. So this has the necessary result of making new
opportunities possible. Today these very opportunities are being missed by
our people and are going to those who come from outside the state. It is
time that our people learned that Government is not in a position to make
them take these opportunities through spoon feeding. The young people
have to themselves compete and be competitive and take these
opportunities. The Government will provide all help and support. The
Panchayats must take this message to every ward and debate. They must
then take proactive steps in line with this. They can then advise our
youngsters and encourage them to seize these golden opportunities which
will not wait forever.
49. Every gram Panchayat will have a community centre, a playground. The
building plans, building it and finally maintaining it will be the
responsibility of the Panchayats.
50. To provide safeguard and protection to the womenfolk of Sikkim the Govt.
will formulate the Marriage Registration Act with consultation of
Panchayats.
Panchayat Manifesto 2002
What do we want?
1. To empower and build the capacity of the villagers socially, politically and
economically.
2. In every development activity that will be carried out in the villages the
grass root people should be able to participate in Full.
3. In order to build the state and the country all the grass root talents and
resources will be harnessed.
4. Traditional knowledge of the villagers regarding identification and use of
herbs and medicinal plants will be encourages and the protection of the
environment will be endured.
5. Traditional social customs of the villagers will be protected and the idea of
community living will be encouraged.
6. To proved all the facilities to the villagers.
7. To institutionalize democratic governance.
8. To decentralize administrative powers.
9. The people themselves will exercise rights and powers of the villages.
10. To provide women with all facilities so that they can enjoy human rights.

Paeelxix
11. Panchayats members will be given all necessary powers so that they will
build their capacity to exercise these powers.
12. Every effort will be made to make the people aware of their political and
democratic rights.
13. The difference that exists between the village and the city will be reduced
as much as possible.
14. All the modern facilities w\\1 be provided to the villages.
15. The people will be responsible to protect the rights of the people and they
will also be responsible to defeat and destroy the known traditional
enemies and establish the government of the poor people.
What have we accomplished?
1. We have restored democracy and established rule of law.
2. We have totally erased the "fear psychosis" created in the minds of the
people throughout Sikkim by the erstwhile Government.
3. We have give tot the people freedom of expression and writing. We have
also ensured full freedom of the press and also instituted a Press Club for
expansion and improvement of the press.
4. We have ensured social justice to all in Sikkim.
5. Revenue Order No. 1 has been fully protected.
6. We have been trying our best not to agree to the implementation of the
Central Direct Tax Laws. These laws are not yet enforced in the State.
7. We have fully protected the Article 371 F of the Constitution of India.
8. Panchayat Elections were successfully held and more powers were
delegated to the Panchayats. Village administration will be the sole
responsibility of the Panchayats.
9. Corruption has been kept under a tight leash and corruption free society is
our Aim and the process has begun form the No 1.
10. Every opportunity has been provided to persons holding diverse views to
express them so that various thoughts and ideas would blossom.
11. A Cooperative Apex Bank has been established in Sikklm.
12. Sikkim Government held meetings with National and international Industrial
agencies and non-governmental organization in New Delhi and Ko\kata 1 in
order to establish viable industries in the State. In this connection Sikkim
Government has promised to extend necessary facilities to these industrial
houses when they want to establish industrial units in Sikkim.
13. Economic survey in Sikkim has been completed.
14. A high powered State Planning Commission has been constituted.
15. We have succeeded in making Sikkim a full-fledged member of the North
Eastern Council.
16. Sikkim Women Council has been established.
17. We have been demanding that our senior personalities should be
appointed as Union Minister, Ambassador, Governor and Justice of the
High Court.

Page lxx
18. Sikkim has now found a place in the Internet Website. We have also
formulated a plan to go for Information Technology on priority basis.
19. In the te\ecom sector Sikkim finds itself as foremost in the country in
terms of connectivity.
20. We have also started the tradition of naming roads and schools in the
names of our senior and respected personalities.
21. In order to remember our great personalities we have started to write
history, highlighting their contributions to Sikkim and the people of
Sikkim.
22. We have formulated and implemented the plan of eradicating poverty on
priority basis.
23. We have also helped the poor and helpless people byimplementing various
poverty alleviation schemes and programs.
24. In every scheme or work we are according highest priority to the poor
people.
25. BPL families in Sikkim are getting rice at Rs. 4 per kg. The wage of the
Mazdoor Labourer has been increased by hundred percent and presently it
has been increased from Rs. 50 toRs. 75.
26. We have distributed land to the landless every year and started constructing
houses for them.
27. Under housing scheme, every year we are giving Rs. 20,000/-as grant to
6000 families. This year the Government has formulated a plan to
construct houses at the cost of Rs. 1 Lakh for every house and create
model vi\lages In Sikkim.
28. In every constituency old age pension has been given to more than 200
old persons. Now old age pension has been doub\ed.Those persons who
were not entitled to get old age pension are being provided with 10 kgs of
rice free of cost every month.
29. In order to make the poor people capable the government has distributed
milk cows, piglets and improved varieties of seeds so they don't have to
depend on the government. Besides they are given training in different
trades and occupation.
30. In order to establish a shop in the villages, the poor Sikkimese traders do
no have to obtain a 1\cense.
31. The poor people who bring their vegetables or other produce will not have
to pay total tax.
32. All poor women employees will receive maternity leave and maternity
leave and maternity al\owance.
33. All widows will receiveRs. 10,000 as grant.
34. Ex service personnel and the handicapped persons will be entitled to be
employed on the basis of reserved quota.
35. We have drawn up plan and programme on heath and education on priority
basis. Sikkim has been the first state in the country to introduce Hepatitis
B vaccination. In every vi11age primary health sub centre has been
established.
36. Our Government has taken historic steps in the field of education. We
have established engineering college, medical college and degree college

Poge \xxi
 at Namchi and Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya at Geysing. We have also made a
plan of establishing a Science College and Agriculture College in Soreng.
37. Primary education has been made free in Sikkim. Besides students are
provided with free uniforms. book and exercise books.
38. Computer education is being introduced in all secondary schools.
39. Merit scholarships have been introduced in the schools, with a view to
create competitive attitude in the minds of the students.
40. In our regime, the literacy percentage on education has registered a top
position.
41. All school buildings are converted into Pucca RCC buildings.
42. More attention is being given to improve the quality of education.
43. Sikkim Academy has been established in order to preserve and propagate
and develop our languages a and literature, culture, art and folk songs and
dances.
44. We have also started to write on history, our tradition, religion and cultural
heritage, in order to preserve our distinct identity.
45. The sanctity of the Serbang system has been protected.
46. We have made Guru Rimpoche's birth anniversary as a 'gazette holiday.
47. We declared a 'gazette holiday' on Ten dong Lho Ramfat.
48. We have declared a 'gazette holiday' on the birth anniversary of Mahatma
Sirijunga.
49. May Day has been declared a gazette holiday.
SO. We have succeeded to introduce Bhutias, Lepcha and Limboo languages up
to college-level.
51. We have recognized the languages, such as Tamang, Gurung.Rai, Sherpa.
Mangar, Sunwar and Newar as State languages of Sikkim.
52. Respecting the religious sentiments, we have scrapped the Rathongchu
Hyde! Project and in its place we have decided to establish a Cultural
Centre.
53. Half of the revenue collected from the Gumpa Estates will bereturned to
the Monasteries for their better upkeep and maintenance.
54. We have succeeded to place Tamang and Lim boo in the list of Tribal.
55. We have established "Srijungha Mangheem" at the Burmoik and Limboo
Cultural Bhawan at Tharpu.
56. We have started the work of installing a great statue of Guru Rimpoche at
Samdupchi in Namchi. Similarly a 108 ft. high statue of Shivaji will be
installed at Solaphuk in Namchi.
57. A rest house at Bodh Gay a was completed.
58. A very sincere effort is being made to enlist left out communities of
Nepalese in the list of OBC. Meanwhile, they were provided with 10
percent reservation in the higher studies.
59. We have already enlisted Jogi, Thami and Sanyasi in the list of OBC.
60. In government service and the higher studies, the reservation quota are
as follows: scheduled tribe- 23%, scheduled castes- 6%, OBC- 21 % and

Pagelxxii
 10% has been provided to Bahun, Chettri and Nevar communities of
Sikkim.
61. A traditional festival has been started where Dhami Jhankri, Bijuwa,
Fedangma, Bumthing and Janapa will participate, displaying their culture
identities.
62. We have strengthened judicial system and established the rule of law.
Human rights court, Family court, Atrocity court and Lok Adalat courts
have been established
63. We have started building necessary infrastructure in order to start all
round development of Sikkim.
64. All old roads are being widened and carpeted.
65. Airport will be constructed at Pakyong. Foundation has already been laid
and the construction work has been started.
66. Helipads were constructed in different parts of Sikkim.
67. We have started Helicopter service.
68. Construction of Ropeway has been started.
69. All Gram Panchayats have been connected with a network of roads.
70. All Panchayat Bhawans are converted to Pucca buildings.
71. Community Bhawans are constructed in different parts of the districts.
72. A stadium is being constructed at Gangtok.
73. Community Bhawans and government bhawans are housed in Pucca
buildings.
74. We have started the generation of hyde\ power on a big scale. Construction
work on 510 MW Teesta Stage V has already been started. Construction
and repair and renovation works on small hyde\ projects, such as Rolep,
Rongnichu and Rabonchu are started.
75. We are working on the plan and program of making Sikkim self-reliant,
capable to run the government on its own steam.
76. We have appreciably increased the revenue of the State.
77. We have stabilized the economy of the State.
78. We have greatly increased the pay-scale, of our officers and employees.
Similarly, we have given fast positions to our officers.
79. We have protected the environment of Sikkim. We have banned the use of
plastics in the State. We have also banned the grazing of the cattle in the
forests. We have planted trees in a large scale throughout the state.
80. We have established a library in every Gram Panchayat.
81. We have published Human Development Report, Sikkim Vision Document.
In order to document the history and other affairs of Sikkim, studies series
are being prepared.
82. We have given Man-Samman to the prominent persons of the villages, in
recognition to their contributions to development and progress of Sikkim.
83. We have introduced the main actors of Prajatantra to the people of Sikkim.
84. Village leaders' contributions to the development of Sikkim were not
recognized in the past. We have succeeded to search and bring them in

Pagelxxiii
 the limelight for the benefit of our intellectuals and officers and
administrators.
85. For the first time, our SDF government set aside 70% of the budget for
the development of the villagers and villages.
86. We have constituted the State Planning Commission and made arrangement
to invite Zilla Adhyakshas to participate in the planning meetings.
87. During our regime, the Panchayat Act was introduced and we have started
implementing the Panchayati Raj in accordance With the provisions of the
Act.
88. After comprehensive deliberations we have decentralized the powers that
are delegated to the Panchayats.
89. We have introduced austerity measures by minimizing the government
expenditure.
90. Serving of alcoholic drinks has been totally prohibited in Mintogang and
other official parties.
91. We have recognized the village women power and enabled them to
participate actively in the affairs of the State.
92. Our government provided opportunities to village youths to display and
improve their talents in various fields.
93. Our government has established Lok Adalat Courts and Family Courts,
which enabled the villagers to get justice at their doorsteps.
94. SDF Government introduced the Panchayat system elected on the basis of
party system. This system has given opportunity to the villagers to learn
the lessons of election system and also they gained the facility of directly
electing the candidate of their choice.
95. We have established the system of payment to the Panchayat.
96. We have constructed Taxi and Car parking stand to facilitate
the movement of vehicles.
97. We have reserved 33% seats for our women in Panchayats and 30% in
government services.
98. In every constituency, one model village will be established.
99. We have constructed houses for the village people
100. We have reduced 50% electricity rent in the villages. We are making
arrangement to distribute free LPG cylinder to the rural people. Let us
think before we cast our precious vote!
During the period in which the popular SDF Government has been in power no
citizen of Sikkim has lost anything, instead all have gained substantially
spiritually, socially, economically and politically. The rights and privileges
enjoyed by an individual and the state are intact and rather they have acquired
more rights and privileges. It would be advisable to remember the self-respect
and safeguards enjoyed by you during this period of stability and indeed
prosperity-a period which we call the golden period brought for you by the SDF
Party and Government. And hence we commend you to think a while and ponder
and then caste your precious vote.

Page I xxiv
 Annexure 5
MISSION & AMBITIONS
14th LOK SABHA AND 7th ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS,
2004

Before we place our Manifesto an Appeal from Party President Dr. Pawan
Cham ling
Respected Sikkimese citizens,
Today we stand at the threshold of 7th Assembly elections and 14th Lok Sabha
elections. Among the pledges and announcements that we made in 1994 and
1999, all of them falling under the State subject have been accomplished. Many
crucial issues falling under central subjects have also been sorted out in the last
nine and as half years of our government. On the strength of our sincerity thus
conveyed and the wide-ranging promises thus delivered, we present ourselves
before the people for the forthcoming elections. In the last many years, we have
conducted ourselves with full commitment, zeal and with a sense of utmost
dedication to liberate our people and establish a system where freedom and
equality reigned supreme. In the next government, we shall continue to uphold
the SDF party's pro poor democratic principle and work with equal zeal and
commitment. In 1994, you gave a new turn to the political history of Sikkim by
establishing people's rule through your decisive mandate in favour of the
Sikkimese party- the Sikkim Democratic Front party. Today we come before
you, yet again, with humble appeal to lend continuity to this great tradition of
yours to nurture people's victory all these years We do not intend to claim to
have established a completely in Sikkim new era in Sikkim during the last nine
and a half years,. Still we have brought about an unprecedented change and
developmental interventions both in terms of conceptual novelty, their volumes
and their interpretations. This truth prevails today as clear as the broad day
light. We inherited a government mired in bankruptcy and a Sikkim burdened by
loan of ten thousand each on every Sikkimese people. Our government has
overcome this dreadful situation and salvaged our people to attain near self
sufficiency, In a clear departure from the past, we have established a
democratic society based on freedom of expression and profession. We have
fulfilled every promise that we made at the time of party formation and during
subsequent elections. We introduced a new culture in Sikkim's politics- to
respect words with deeds. We have promoted the political principle to respect
positive criticism and opposition's views, to maintain moral integrity and
honesty, transparency and to abjure double standard in state's politics, and to
fulfill the aspirations of the people. Our government has built all necessary
infrastructures needed to make Sikkim ultra modern and prosperous. We are no
longer the backward and undeveloped state, but a model state, a progressive
state, and a leader in many sectors across the country and the world, Our
government has worked consistently to transform our state from the dreadful
past and to link it with a new future, filled with brilliant possibilities and
prospects. Every working man, every law-abiding man, every honest Sikkimese
has experienced this revolutionary transformation, development and enduring
freedom brought about by the SDF government. We need not invest words to
count our achievements. Our actions speak louder than words.
Many anti-people leaders in different garbs and colours have descended upon
electoral arena, whose sole aim is the 'chair'. They will go to any extent to grasp
power and undermine the interest and welfare of the people. Their character is

Page lxxv
defined in their vicious campaign to divide people on the basis of caste, colour
and communities and thereby fulfill their selfish end. Therefore, many anti-
people politicians are scrambling around in the garb of the proverbial saintly
cats. These feudal forces, these anti-people leaders who exploit people, who
oppress people, are our proclaimed enemies. We will never yield or submit
before these anti-people forces. We will further unite people and strengthen
people's fort. In Sikkim there is no place for such politics which is based on
casteism and communalism. The Sikkimese people have established this truth
many times in the past. We cannot afford to lead Sikkim into the dark and
narrow lane. Instead, we would like to lead Sikkim along the broad highway of
peace and harmony and where all Sikkimese coming from different castes and
communities can move ahead, hand in hand, towards the goal of overall
development.
Respected fellow Sikkimese
We would like to take pride and claim that the SDF party is the party
committed to the interest and welfare of the majority Sikkimese people. Our
politics is dedicated to the welfare of the majority working people and the law-
abiding people. Numerous fulfilled promises in the last nine and a half years go
to show who we favour. We will continue to move ahead with our revolution
until we establish a system that guarantees complete peace and prosperity for
our people. After you have chosen us to lead the government, we have not
frittered away a single day, a single moment at our disposal. We have fully
dedicated our energy, zeal and enthusiasm for the prosperity of the Sikkimese
people and their progress. I request you to consider all these seriously in the
overall interest of the state. You are once again poised to give the Sikkimese
politics a decisive course. The greater concern regarding the future of Sikkim
and your own future squarely rest in your own hands. I seek to appeal that
before you exercise your franchise, you will clearly identify your enemies and
your friends.
On the one hand is the SDF, the party of the masses. On the other is the parties
led by Congress. And the Sikkimese people are well aware that the Congress in
Sikkim is the conglomeration of all the anti-people political leaders who
betrayed the Sikkimese for so long in the past. The Sikkimese people know
them and their ways and are aware of these anti-national forces. Every single
vote of yours shall add on to the strength of the democratic foundation and
master the cause of justice and equality. The issue of overall security and
development of the state shall be determined by your precious votes. Before
you cast your vote, may you ponder over these issues and reflect on the
historical works accomplished by the SDF government in your favour. I am
confident that you shall cast your vote in favour of 'umbrella' - a symbol of
development, peace, justice and democracy.
The people shall surely triumph. Saying in all consciousness that I shall not
shrink back but continue to offer a gentle and promising leadership to the
Sikkimese people in the future, I now present our party's Manifesto to you all.
Jai Sikkim! Jai Sikkimese Janta!!
To forever uphold democracy, justice and equality ..... With a firm conviction thus
2nd April, 2004' Gangtok.
(Pawan Chamling)
President
Sikkim Democratic Front

Pagelxxvi
Our Vision: 2015
1. We shall make Sikkim as the best performing state
2. We shall make Sikkim poverty-free state.
3. We shall make Sikkim a fully literate state
4. We shall make Sikkim Corruption Free State
5. We shall make Sikkim a total organic state
6. We shall make Sikkim a cradle of traditional practices with modern
Institutions
7. We shall make Sikkim a cradle of traditional practices with modern
Institutions
8. We shall make Sikkim as the zero unemployment zone of India
9. We shall make Sikkim a biodiversity knowledge centre of eastern
Himalayas
10. We shall make Sikkim the best welfare state in the country
11. We shall make Sikkim the land of opportunity
12. We shall make Sikkim a producer state
13. We shall make Sikkim the state of peace and security
14. We shall make Sikkim Naya and sukhi and a model state in the Country
15. We shall make Sikkim a society based on knowledge, science and
Technology
16. We shall transform Sikkim into an ideal state free from communal, anti-
constitutional and other anti-national elements. We shall mobilize Rs. 1000
crores revenue by 2015. Rural economy shall be made self-contained. This
way, we shall make Sikkim into the most competitive and efficient
mountain economy.
17. We shall bring down the Infant Mortality rate by less then 20
18. We shall endeavor to raise the net state domestic product to Rs. 2400
crores.
19. We shall endeavor to raise the per capita income to Rs. 1 lakh
20. We shall achieve total literacy in the state
21. We shall ensure compulsory enrolment of children between 4-10 Years of
age in the schools
22. We shall set up 166 Community Information Centers in the state
23. We shall make Sikkim a zero poverty state
24. We shall focus on the initiation of second generation reforms
25. We shall allocate 80 per cent of the development fund for rural economy.
This means all the rural sectors will be totally reoriented and
reinvigorated.
Our Mission: corruption-free Sikkim
In the context of present national development scenario, corruption has become
a real threat. Without containing or abolishing corruption, we can not think of

Pagelxxvii
attaining the targeted goal of overall progress. This has become a menace and a
formidable challenge. Therefore, the first task of our administration is to contain
and abolish corruption. We want to wipe out corruption completely from Sikkim.
After assuming power, we have set in motion an unmistakable process of overall
cleansing right from the top and the legal process to punish the corrupt, one
after another. We will see to it that the corrupt who misuse public money are
shown the place that they deserve. Although corruption is immediately
discernible on economic front, it is actually multi-dimensional affecting multiple
areas. It has penetrated into the deeper recesses of overall mindset, thinking,
people's attitude and behavior in the society. We must uproot this. Unless we
contain corruption in its multiple forms, we can not successfully tackle or abolish
economic Corruption. Our revered party President has maintained that economic
corruption, almost always, prompts depravity which in turns degenerate our
society. Therefore, we want to make Sikkim corruption-free and make it healthy
and strong. We can not create a clean and healthy society with a group of feeble
men. Hence, our aim is to create a generation of Sikkimese people who are
indeed healthy in their moral and inner being. Together with the development of
present society, we are investing in equal measure in the creation of a new set
of ideal Sikkimese who are outward looking, tolerant and morally
uncompromising.
ASSEMBLV MANIFESTO 2004
For building a healthy society, we need citizens who are morally upright and
uncompromising. Therefore, our mission is one that of making every Sikkimese
morally strong. Our programs and policies have been designed to meet this
mission. We have many ideological and pragmatic reasons to carry out our
campaign against corruption in the state:
1) Corruption is an impulse against the poor and is anti-national.
2) In a corrupt society, democracy cannot flourish
3) Corruption stimulates an individual to misuse public office and institution
for his selfish motive
4) Studies and survey have established corruption as the biggest and most
critical problem in the country
5) Corruption dampens the spirit of hard work and industry.
6) It limits the pace of development and decimates one's energy.
7) Corruption destroys one's self respect and ruins one's character.
8) Corruption induces unethical practices in every area and subdues quality
and merit.
(9) Corruption undermines the very foundation of strong and resilient society.
We shall uproot the class of social parasites and power brokers who thrive
on bribery, nepotism, so called political nexus and goondaism and
hoolganism.
We have noticed that corruption mainly stems from weak governance
manifesting itself in poor service delivery, excessive regulation, red tapism and
uncoordinated and centralization of power. We have also found that corruption
emanates because of poor transparency and accountability in the system. We
have recorded that corruption ultimately adds cost to the public expenditure and
impinge upon growth and development. Therefore we shall be increasingly
replacing the traditional system of governance by effective, efficient and
transparent and simple system. We shall totally mechanizes the file disposal

Page 1 xxviii
system and revamp the entire system of office management. To free Sikkim
completely from the menace of corruption and creation of a healthy and just
society is the foremost aim of our political agenda. Until we make· our society
free of corruption in its multiple manifestations, we will continue with our
revolution and our programs. And until we transform Sikkim into a corruption-
free state of the country, we will continue to stand by our programs. Our
mission: poverty-free Sikkim We will uproot poverty from the Sikkimese soil and
establish a prosperous society. We will liberate our people from the pangs of
poverty and give them peaceful and fulfilling life. We understand that poverty is
linked With production and low income. Poverty spread in the absence of gainful
employment and productive works. Since majority of poor people lack necessary
capacity to take advantage of various opportunities, poverty finds fertile ground
to effect the people. We want to free our poor people from this condition.
We want to make our people producer by opening industry in the state, by
creating income-generating schemes and by utilizing local natural resources.
And for the establishment of such industrial units, we seek to support our
people and provide them with other facilities. We will enlist people's
participation in undertaking various productive schemes for generation of more
income. We have carried out an in-depth study on the establishment of feasible
industries in Sikkim and we have also encouraged our people to take up such
venture. We have worked towards creation of a pool of manpower to handle
such business.
Through all these exercises, we want to engage our people in productive works
thereby improve their purchasing power. This will make them economically
stable and resilient. We will continue with our work until we make every
Sikkimese economically strong. We are working towards attaining self-reliance
through utilization of our own natural resources. Some improvement is palpable
in our economic condition. We will continue with this process. We are on the
road to make Sikkim a poverty free state in the country. The journey is on. We
will certainly reach our destination. Because we accept poverty as the root
cause of all anvils and we have set our target to wipe out poverty and all other
evils thereby make our society capable and vibrant. Our mission: Illiteracy-free
Sikkim.
In the 21st century, in the knowledge age, nothing could be more devastating
than be an illiterate. Due to lack of education awareness or lack of educational
facilities, many people are still languishing in ignorance, away from the light and
radiance of education. We will end this situation. We have worked hard to make
education accessible to and all. We have carried out a number of programs
aimed at reaching education to the entire Sikkimese. We have made sufficient
provision in this sector so that poor parents can also send their children to
schools without any economic burden. Education up to the college level is free.
Together with easy accessibility, quality education is our main aim. We want to
develop Sikkim into the new educational destination of the country. Ouraim is to
make every Sikkimese literate, capable and knowledgeable. When we came to
power in 1994, our literacy rate was a mere 56 percent. Today the rate stands
at seventy percent. This shows that we are well into our advanced journey to
make our state a total literate state. For the spread of quality education, we
have created all necessary infrastructures. Many new colleges have come up in
the state. In the near future, the state will have its own independent University.
Medical College, Engineering College and technical college have been
established in the state. Some more colleges will be constructed. We want to
attain 100 per cent literacy for the state of Sikkim. To achieve this, adult
education will also continue and the concept of 'each one- teach one' campaign
shall be launched in the state. Our mission: disease-free Sikkim Our

Pagelxxix
government is genuinely drawn towards development of health sector. We want
to make every Sikkimese disease-free or at least can avail of all possible health
care services in the state. Health sub-centres and health centers have been
established at the panchayat level with all necessary medical facilities. Besides
providing quality health facilities, we now give prevention of disease the utmost
importance. We are concentrating on programs that would encourage
prevention of disease rather than treatment after contracting disease. Hospitals
in the state have been upgraded with procurement of modern medical gadgets.
Central Referral Hospital has been opened in the state. Sir Thutop Namgyal
Memorial (STNM) Hospital is being converted into an ultra modern Hospital
equipped with sophisticated and the latest machinery to enable the local
patients to obtain the best treatment and facilities. This hospital will now be
linked with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
through Telemedicine, for both treatment and research. In the health sector,
our government has made path-breaking contribution for ensuring security to
human life. We will continue to work towards providing the best health care
services to our people.
Until every Sikkimese in the state is healthy, we will continue with our work.
Our Mission: Developing Sikkim as a Knowledge Society Twenty first century will
be the century of knowledge. The world today is moving towards knowledge age
from the age of information. Those nations With knowledge wealth shall prosper
and any nation lacking in knowledge resource shall lag behind. At the national
level, a detailed study has been carried out for transforming India into a
knowledge superpower. Knowledge society will have three key drivers. The first
will be driven by societal transformations for a just and equitable society and
the second by wealth generation. The third will be driven by protection of
knowledge,including the traditional knowledge generated by communities over
the centuries.
In order to transform the state into a knowledge society, it is imperative to
focus our attention on education; health care, agriculture and good governance
besides, attention should be given to the development of technology and
strengthening of the service sector generating opportunity in employment,
industrial growth and rural prosperity. We want to develop Sikkim into a
prosperous state based on equality and justice on the basis of these sectors.
Our focus will be promoting Sikkim as a knowledge society in the next
~overnment. Knowledge society has the' capacity to generate, absorb,
disseminate and protect knowledge and create economic wealth besides
enriching its people in different sectors and bringing about societal
transformation. By using the native strength of the people, this transformation
can be further accelerated to develop the state as a sustainable knowledge
society. Our government in the state, shall further pursue a more creative,
interactive and self learning process with focus on values, merit and quality. We
will work towards creating solid background for transforming Sikkim into a
knowledge society. Our mission: Third generation reforms in human right The
French Revolution of 1789 is said to have caused a cataclysmic political and
social up heaven resulting in the establishment of First Republic in the world.
This inspired people the world over to view human rights issues from their own
perspectives. Fundamental issues like democracy, freedom of speech and right
to equality became buzz words sweeping the entire globe with new inspiration
and revelation. At the second stage, Democracy offered refreshing definition of
freedom and equality, defining broader parameters for their application. Today,
we know that we govern and are governed through the process based on self-
determination, freedom and liberty, touching almost every aspect of individual
and collective life. However, with the advent of New Millennium, an opinion is
steadily building up to supplement our rights and freedom so that the interest of

Page 1xxx
 every individual can be taken care of. Since, progress is highly subjective in
nature granting rights alone may not fully address the question of social
distortion and economic disparity. Taking a leaf from this new thought process
in the world, the SDF government in Sikkim shall promote and vigorously
enforce what is known as Right to Development in the state. All the related
development aspects like Right to Empowerment. Right to Employment and
Right to Share shall be promoted in the coming government.
Indeed, we have already initiated several measures to secure right to
empowerment and other crucial socio-political and economic rights of the
people. Our party and government not only believe in the Right to Development
but shall promote the Third generation Human Rights Reforms more intensely in
the next government. Our basic concern shall continue to remain the interest
and security of every Sikkimese-rich poor, leaned or a layman.
Our mission: creation of a Civil Society
Civil society is the biggest check on any unlawful deviations and actions by the
government agencies and other parties in the society and the state. We shall
consciously encourage the civil society members and organizations in influencing
the decision making process for larger interest of the State. We shall set up Civil
Society Forums in each district We shall build a well informed and resilient civil
society that can voice opposition to any wrong moves or actions in the State by
the Government and any other parties. We shall continue to honour our
achievers in any field of public participation. We shall also recommend names
and support the case of Sikkimese for a range of prestigious national and
international awards.
Our mission: Creation of wholesome human being.
Our goal is to produce a wholesome human being so that each Sikkimese can
confront with all trials and tribulations with poise and ease. Therefore, our
endeavour will be to nurture each child in Sikkim by inculcating in them rich and
secular value education, imparting in them practical knowledge and down-to-
earth spirit and developing in them a total personality. We want to give each
Sikkimese individual an ability to reason, capacity to interact, react and pro-act
and resilience and forbearance to face the most trying situations. We want each
Sikkimese individual to be "no less" in all spheres of accomplishments.
Our mission is to make Sikkim a fully literate state and the Sikkimese people
fully educated, knowledgeable, capable and creative. To achieve our mission, we
would make education freely accessible, qualitative, life oriented and age-
oriented.
Our mission: Emotional connectivity With the advent of information technology,
we have witnessed rapid development in every field of human activities.
Emphasis is laid on immediate physical connectivity between nation to nation,
country to, country, state to state and socrety to society. The concept of global
village is firmly established. What is declining in the process is human intimacy,
warmth and affection. The SDF government will further strive to bridge this gap
and establish emotional connectivity between man to man. We will encourage
people to speak the language of heart and promote love and friendship among
people, societies, states and nations. WE are government that delivers, because
"In the last ten years, we have proved that we have the ability to dream big and
the capacity to translate them into realities." Last Ten Years of SDF Government
we have fully committed, devoted and dedicated ourselves to:
* Achieving a high growth rate in the State Domestic income
* Re-establishing and consolidating the democratic values and practices

Pagelxxxi
* Bestowing highest priority to rule of law and self respect of each individual

* Safeguarding each aspect of human rights

* Promoting modem instruments of justice

* Working for People's Supremacy

* Originating the planning and development process from a village itself

* Meaningfully empowering the people at the grass root

* Making the systems of governance more efficient and effective
* Emotionally, physically and intellectually linking Sikkim with the National
mainstream

* Creating a range of physical and social infrastructure

* Generating a huge income and employment

* Providing a distinct social status to Sikkimese women

* Building a large number of multi-faceted institutions

* Bringing a real sense of competition and efficiency in all the sectors

* Ensuring environmental security, food security and energy security

* Reorienting the outlook and vision of our youths

* Revitalizing the traditional practices and institutions

* Reinvigorating the intellectual base and capital

* Positioning Sikkim more distinctly in the development map of the country

* Rejuvenating the role and contribution of press and media

* Providing Sikkimese identity a more dynamic and ebullient shape

* Inviting a range of private sector players and national and international

NGOs and Donor agencies. And refocusing on Sikkim's national and
international image.
All these would not have been possible without the:
* Blessings and good wishes of all the Sikkimese people.

* Hard work of the people at the villages.

* Strong ideological and political foundation of SDF Party at the grass root.

* Single-minded devotion of party workers.

* Unflinching support of the government officials, teachers, doctors,

labourers, businessmen, entrepreneurs and other professionals.

* Constant inspiration from the youths and students.

* Constructive criticisms of the media.

* Institutional back up at the local, regional, national and international

levels.

* Encouragement of large number of people from other parts of India and

* All round support and distinct commitment of the Union Government what
we cherish and what we don't?

Page lxxxii
Distinct Ideological Stance of Dr. Pawan Chamling
We cherish democratic principles and attitude. But we discard undemocratic
tendencies and conduct. Autocratic tendency is our avowed enemy.
We firmly believe that in every victory, people's aspirations, dreams and future
should also Win. The SDF party shall not tolerate such victory which defeats
people but promotes one individual or one leader. Our party shall overcome any
pressure or face any opposition to make people victorious forever.
We cherish democratic system, but we shall not tolerate people's
representatives flouting democratic system through undemocratic attitude
and practices.
We cherish Politics as the highest mean to serve the people and not any
· form of occupation or business. Through constructive politics, we want to
lead people to the right path.
We cherish equality and human rights. But we do not tolerate any form of
human rights violation and discriminations. · We cherish people's force as
supreme. But we do not tolerate such forces who use people for their
selfish ends
We do not believe that democracy is all about elections and governance.
But we cherish democracy as the complete process of overall development
of the country and the essential realization of people's power as final and
all abiding.
We cherish the view that Sikkim and the Sikkimese should be fully
protected as per the constitution. We oppose all such forces that seek to
misguide people on unconstitutional and undemocratic issues.
We cherish rule of law. We oppose people who divide people on class,
group and community.
We cherish progress of every single individual. We oppose any form of
disparity based on social, political, cultural and economic difference.
We cherish welfare of every single Sikkimese. But we hold the view that
safeguarding of one's interest and welfare should not, in any way, impinge
upon the interest of others.
We cherish equal rights and responsibility of women together with their
male counterpart.
We cherish to transform Sikkim into a fully developed and modern state.
We cherish to promote Sikkim's cause through progressive thought and
deeds. We oppose people, teeth and nail, who seek to push Sikkim
backward to make it backward.
Targets for the next 5 years
We shall strive to achieve over 85 per cent literacy rate in the state
We shall cover 100 per cent infants by immunization
We shall achieve Hepatitis 'B' vaccination cover to 100 per cent children
below the age group of 10.
We shall bring down the Infant Mortality Rate to 30
We shall generate internal revenue of Rs. 500 crores
We shall raise net state domestic product toRs. 1600 crores

P;:~ge lxxxiii
We shall raise our per capita income to Rs. 28,000/
We shall increase food grain production to 1.31akh tons
We shall increase horticulture production to 1.20 lakh tons
We shall achieve tourist arrival of over 6 lakhs per annum
We shall bring down the percentage of population below poverty line to 20
per cent.
We shall construct a Herbarium in the state for promotion and
conservation of our natural medicinal base.
We shall set up a Research Institute on Water Resources on Himalayas in
order to develop water resources of the Himalayan region
We shall establish an Institute of Bio-Diversity and Natural Resources
Management Centre in the state
We shall undertake industrialization of Sikkim on the strength of the
available natural resources.
We shall set up a Planning and Development Board in each district to work
out people-centric and result-oriented planning at the district level.
We shall keep Sikkim free from casteist tendency and propaganda that
may divide our compact society.
We shall preserve and promote our traditional handicraft and hand loom in
the state.
We have pushed our State into a stage of 'feel proud' situation through
historical works and achievements. In the days to come, we shall continue
to provide appreciation grant to all people who work in the interest of state
and the people.
"Development Dividend" shall be given to the selected, committed and
outstanding government employees including muster roll, casual and
temporary staff in the State to recognize their contribution and encourage
them in the future.
"You Have Done Well Grant" shall be given to the selected and registered
NGOs in the State.
"Keep it Up Grant" shall be given each to the selected and registered
tourism and travel agents in the State.
"Creative Performance Grant" shall be given to selected writers and
intellectuals to enable them to consult libraries, archives and visit other
institutions for intellectual exchanges anywhere in India.
"Positive Journalism Grant" shall be given to the selected accredited
journalists.
"We respect you grant" shall be given to all those veterans above 70
years.
"Sikkim State Appreciation Pension" of monthly Rs 1,000/ - shall be given
to the outstanding sportspersons, the Sahitya Academy Awardees in
Nepali literature from all over India and Sangeet Natak Academic and Lalit
Kala Akadenil award winners of Sikkim.
"State Laurels Grant" shall be given to all the sportspersons who have
represented Sikkim and participated in the National games.

Pagelxxxiv
 "Most Progressive Farmer'' grant shall be given to the most progressive,
committed farmer of the State.
Kaushal Vikas Kosh (Skill Development Fund) of Rs 5 Crore shall be
launched to undertake varieties of skill development trainings, vocational
courses and other capacity building exercises for the youth.
The Career Development Fund of Rs. 5 crores shall also be launched
The Government shall announce a Health Insurance Policy for all the
Sikkimese people above 45 years.
We shall simplify the licensing system for establishment of industrial units
in the state.
Centre for career focus shall be established for the youths.
We will keep the state free from drug trafficking and abuse. We have
ensured that no one is treated lower because of the accident of his/her
birth. All Sikkimese shall continue to live with due respect and enjoy their
rights unhampered. The tenets of social justice shall be further
consolidated. We shall further consolidate on our improved environment of
social and political justice whereby the marginalized people shall join the
social mainstream and move ahead shoulder to shoulder with fellow
citizens. We have created an environment for the people to live as a proud
Sikkimese as per the constitutional proviSion- and this has to continue in
the future, We will introduce a basic shift in our traditional way of farming
and our trade to encourage our people towardS a more innovative and
productive occupation. Many new schemes shall be undertaken in each
household to generate more income for our people. We will make every
Sikkimese hardworking, skilled, competent and talented and encourage
them to undertake productive works.
In the next five years. We will:
intensify our campaign to make Sikkim poverty free
raise our internal revenue toRs. SOD crores
electrify each household. We will continue with our policy to provide free
electricity to all BPL families up to 100 units
connect all GPUs with all-weather road
launch the 'one family-one job' policy in the state
allot one acre of land to the landless Sikkimese
Completely abolish child labour in the state. No one need to live unclothed
and hungry.
All children shall attend schools
Each district will have one degree college and the state shall have a
Science College, one technical college and one Agriculture College
groom 5 outstanding sportspersons of the national standing
Ninety percent of our work shall complete towards promoting Sikkim as
the total organic state
increase our forest coverage by another five percent
make Sikkim as the most developed state of the country by achieving the
target of annual economic growth rate of 10 percent

Page lxxxv
 Further improve our literacy rate to 85 per cent.
Every Sikkimese will get the opportunity, the facility and the means to
excel in life
Fully safeguard the political freedom of our people, economic equality,
culture and tradition, communal harmony, peace and unity and we claim
and commit that We have the best plans and strategy to protect Sikkim
We shall make Sikkim the land of means and opportunity
We shall prevent our farmers and tillers from falling prey to black
marketers. We will earmark a regulated price for their products
We shall support just and proficient institutions in the state
We shall explore various other sources to make every Sikkimese the
master of his own destiny
We shall prevent social behavior from getting corrupt and instead make it
stronger and capable
The entire image of Sikkim has undergone an overwhelming
transformation because of Pawan Chamling's vision, firm commitment,
positive guidance and innovative policy decisions. Many path-breaking
works have been accomplished, unprecedented in the history of Sikkim.
The many outstanding achievements of the SDF government were made
possible by Dr. Chamling's these many attributes. By achieving a steady
decline in poverty indices, productive employment avenues, by smoothing
out development disparities, we are on our advanced journey to make
Sikkim, new, prosperous and self-contained state in the country.
Our demands with the Centre
All the rights and protections of the Sikkimese people as guaranteed under
Article 371F of the Constitution of India should be kept inviolate.
The minority Bhutia-Lepcha communrty should continue to enjoy all
protections as provided under the constitution.
Giving due honour to Sikkim's history and tradition, seats should be
reserved for the Nepalese of Sikkimese origin in the State Assembly.
The number of seats in both Houses of Parliament should be increased to 2
each from the existing 1 each for the state of Sikkim. Similarly, the
number of State Assembly seats should be increased from the existing 32
to 40.
Seats should be reserved for the Limbus and Tamangs in the Assembly at
the earliest.
..
Bhutia-Lepcha and Limbu languages should be included in the eighth
Scheduled of the Constitution.
Chettri-Bahun-Newar-Sanyasi should be included in the OBC list at the
centre.
Rai, Manger, Gurung, Sunuwar, Thami, Jogi, Dewan and Yakha
communities should be accorded the tribal status.
Nepali community in India should be declared as minority at the national
level.
Sikkim should be declared as a Tribal State.

Page lxxxvi
A special economic package of Rs. 3000 crores should be released for the
development of Sikk\m.
The centre should write off a\1 loans borrowed by the previous
government.
Central Direct Tax Act 1961 should not be enforced in Sikkim keeping the
State out of the purview of Wealth tax, Income tax and Gift tax.
Sikkim should be kept out of the purview of Excise Tax.
Sikkim should be linked with the Golden Quadrilateral under the National
Highway Development Project.
An alternative Highway should be built for the state of Sikkim
Eminent Sikkimese public figures should be appointed in the National
Commissions including in the Planning Commission and other high
Constitutional offices like that of Governors, High Commissioners, and
Judges and Ambassadors.
For complete emotional Integration of Sikkimese into the national main
stream, more Sikkimese people should be absorbed in central
administrative posts.
For the development and conservation of entire Himalayan belt, National
Institute of Himalayan Research and Development should be established in
Sikkim.
For conservation and promotion of medicinal plants available in the state,
an Advanced Centre for Medicinal Plants and Bio~technology shall be set
up in Sikkim.
The Centre should grant approval for establishment of a State University in
Sikkim

Pugelxxxvii
 ADDENDUM/CORRIGENDUM

Answer/Comment on Query A

The thesis as observed is probably more descriptive than analytical.

However the last three chapters are based on field surveys and hence
analytical. I will keep the point in mind while revising the thesis for
publication or taking up any other research work in future. In this
addendum I attempt an analysis of regionalism in India and the
regionalist discourse in Sikkim and note how the regionalist discourse is
similar or different from the nationalist discourse.

The growth of regionalism in Indian Politics after independence

can be traced to the 1960's after the re-organization of the states in
1956. Many regional political parties and organizations emerged with
the demand for separate statehood, for more autonomy within the
Indian federal set up, recognition of their language etc. Thus the
phenomenon of regionalism and regionalization of politics that we
witness today is not new in India. The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK) of Tamil Nadu, formed immediately after independence was the
first well organised regional political party to come to power at the state
level in India in 1967. Ever since then a trend of regional politics has
been evident in Indian Politics. Regional political parties are actively
participating in the coalition governments formed at the national level
in the country since the 1990's. It is because of the growth and
expansion of regional political parties we witness a decline in the
Congress dominant one party dominated political system at the state as
well as at the national level.

In contemporary India Regional political parties have greater

impact on national politics as these parties try to make necessary

.xxxviih g e
 negotiations with the national political parties for holding important
portfolios so that they can bring necessary financial benefits to their
regions. While discussing about regional political parties, their growth
and their intense participation in Indian politics, it is important to note
that a regional political party can be a party with a regional political
presence that is a party which contests and wins elections in one state
on the basis of a regional agenda. For example 1 political parties like the
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) of Assam, the Akali Dal of Punjab, the
National Conference of Jammu and Kashmir, the Telugu Desam Party of
Andhra Pradesh and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagham (DMK) of Tamil
Nadu contest on regional issues.

The development of regionalism in India in some cases is due to

the Indian Constitution which makes it easy in breaking the existing
ones for the formation of separate states. Since the re-organisation of
states in 1956, there have been altogether 28 states of the Indian
Union. The last time new states were created was in 2000 when
Jharkhand was created out of Bihar, Uttarkhand out of Uttar Pradesh
and Uttaranchal out of Madhya Pradesh. Basically the creation of new
states somehow has been the result of long established demands for
separate statehood. The demand for Bodoland by the Bodo's in Assam
has settled down with the formation of Bodoland Territorial Council.
The recent demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland seems to have
settled down with the signing of the Accord for the formation of a
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

Regionalism in India was once treated as a great danger to

national integration and unity, but this feeling has gradually
disappeared as regional parties and other organizations also have an
integrating role to play at the national level. In Sikkim, the concept of
national integration was not the major concern of the political parties as
they were always focusing on the ethnic-cultural issues in the state
which existed even during the merger. Only very recently the Sikkim
Democratic Front (SDF) in its election manifesto talked about national
integration. The party (SDF) also claims that the former government
under Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP), a regional political party, did not
make any effort for national integration with the Union. Therefore, the
Party has promised to work for national integration which was not done
earlier. Hence it can be said that regional parties contribute to national
integration.

In recent years we note that there has been a phenomenal

growth of regional political parties in the Indian political system. The
expansion of regional parties has brought a major change not only in
the state party systems but also at the national party system in the
country. As a result of the growth of regional parties the party system
at the national level has shifted from a one party dominant Congress
system to a 'multi-party system' which is also referred to as a 'coalition
politics'.

On the emergence and growth of regional parties in Indian

political system, there are different opinions among different authors.
For some regionalisation of politics is due to developmental process at
the state level, uneven economic development that Jed to the growth of
regional disparity that gave rise to new classes after independence and
the decline of the dominant Congress Party. One important factor can be
cited and that is there was dissatisfaction among the dominant regional
groups which failed to gain substantial benefits from the Congress ruling
party at the centre. These factors have contributed to the emergence of
regional parties in India.
 -- -Tnere·'"a--re·som-e Oth~~-;~-~~~--ns which are considered as factors that
had contributed to the growth and expansion of regional parties. To Paul
Brass (1995) 1 the growth of regional parties is a natural growth in a
country which has a diverse ethno-cultural-linguistic based and socially
fragmented society. Sudha Pai (1990f argues that the rise of regional
parties is due to the complex interplay between the regional
consciousness and social, political and economic developments that has
taken place since independence. To writers like Bhambri (1998) 3 the
splits in the Congress party and decline in its organisation since 1967
contributed largely to the growth of Regional parties. He further argues
that regional parties are getting prominence and have acquired
significant position and strength in recent times partly because of the
weakness and failures of the national party system in the country and
also due to the failure of national parties in responding to the demands
of the regional people.

The emergence of Regional parties is also closely linked with the

process of regionalization of Indian politics. Basu and Mukhopadhayay
(2003) 4 argue that this "regionalization of Indian politics at one level is
a reaction to the centralization of political power structure within the
Congress party itself. .. The Congress party has dominated the Indian
politics for a long period of time since independence. It is understood
that regionalization could be viewed as a consequence of the political
ascendancy of the capitalist class. The Congress dominated government
policies both at the state and the Centre fostering the rise of this

1
Paul R. Brass, 1995. The Politics of India since Independence, New Delhi: Cambridge University
Press.
2
Sudha, Pai, 1990. 'Regional Parties and the Emerging Pattern of Politics in India' Indian Journal of
Political Science, July-Sept.
3
C. P. Bhambri, 1998. Indian Politics since Independence, VaLl, Delhi: Shipra Publications.
4
Subho Basu & Surajit, C. Mukhopadhyay, 1998. "The Crisis of the Centralised Nation State:
Regionalisation and Electoral Politics in 1990s" in Subho Basu & Suranjan Das (ed.), Electoral
Politics in South Asia, Calcutta: K. P. Bagchi & Company
 segment of rural society which ultimately saw steady erosion. in the
support base of the Congress. Another factor for the rise of these
parties is that some of the opposition parties like Janata Dal also
contributed substantially to the regional parties. The formation and rise
of Bharatiya Janata Party can be related with regionalization in India.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's attempt to foster a homogenized Hindu
national identity devoid of internal cleavages also strengthened the
process of regionalisation of Indian Politics' (Basu & Mukhopadhyay,
2000, pp.207-208).

Harish Khare 5 in his article discusses the reasons for the growth of
Regional parties from the 1970s and their expansion since the early
1990s. Khare relates the growth of regional parties in the context of
regional parties that have become successful in catching up the support
of the people with local demands and issues which the Congress party
have failed in some Congress ruled states. The shortcoming of the
Congress party is that it has failed to deliver the goodsr as a result there
was a widespread sense of deprivation and frustration among the people
which further created more distance with the centre. Khare comments
that with the economic liberalisation in 1991 1 the regional parties have
negotiations with the national parties for the allocation of financial
benefits and regional interests in the state (Khare, 1998, p.56-57).

The expansion of Regional and state-based parties have been

tremendously seen since the 1990s. Even though some of the regional
parties had emerged even prior to independence, like the Akali Dal in
Punjab or the National Conference in Jammu & Kashmir however1 it was
only in the 1967 general election that the growth and influence of these

5
Harish, Khare, 1998. Parties, National and Regional: Institutions of Governance, P.R.,
Chari (ed.) India Towards Millennium, New Delhi: Manohar.
parties was greatly felt. The political parties like the Shiv Sena in
Maharashtra and Bengal Congress in West Bengal are some of the
political parties which were formed just before the fourth general
elections. It was in this fourth general elections, the Congress party
suffered massive setbacks in most of the Congress dominated states. Its
votes dropped by almost 5 percent. In the larger states like- Punjab,
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Madras and
Kerala the Congress lost the election and failed to form governments.
The election was won by the regional and state based parties either as a
single majority party, for example the DMK in Madras or in alliance with
other political parties. This was probably the first time in Indian politics
that Regional parties contested elections but also formed governments
at the state level after elections.

Though regional parties became popular and played a significant

role in 1967, but the Congress party in the subsequent elections which
were held in 1971 and 1972 retained back its power at the centre. It
was only after 1977 election, the regional parties became more visible
in various states and in coalition politics in India. For example, the Akali
Dal formed the government in alliance with the splinter group of
Congress in Punjab, in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference
returned to power after almost a decade. Parties like AIADMK also
became prominent in the state of Tamil Nadu. The regional parties like
the DMK and the Akali Dal were partners in the Janata Party
government at the national level. This was in fact the first instance
when Regional parties shared power at the national level in the
country.

The rise and growth of regional political parties in the 1990's

changed the entire course of party politics in India. It shifted the
political power from the Congress party system to regional politics and
more importantly to a multi-party coalition politics. The regional parties
have acquired importance at the national level due to the fact that they
have increased their presence in the national legislature since the 1996
elections and due to this they have come to play a very crucial role in
the making and unmaking of governments at the central level. Until
1991 regional parties had less number of seats in the Lok Sabha but in
1991, regional parties occupied 56 seats whereas in 1996 it increased
to 137 seats, 161 seats in 1998, 188 seats in 1999 and increased to
total 159 seats in 2004 elections which is slightly less than 20 percent
of the total votes. In the 2011 Parliamentary elections the state parties
contested 394 seats securing 146 seats with 14.30 percent of votes.

Regarding the significance and the position of these parties in

state legislatures it is evident that they have increased their strength
considerably and are playing a crucial role in the national politics in
recent years. According to Lawrence Saez (2002), as many as twelve
states of the Indian Union Regional parties (including state parties)
occupied a prominent position in the state legislatures and also formed
governments at the state level. The political parties like the Shiv Sena
(55) for the first time came to power in Maharashtra along with its ally, ~

the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1995 which remained in power till
1999. The Asom Gano Parishad (AGP) similarly returned back to power
for the second time in Assam in 1996 by dislodging the Congress party.
The National Conference (NC) came to power in 1996 with a large
majority in Jammu & Kashmir. The Dravidian parties, the DMK and the
AIADMK alternated power among themselves in the state of Tami! Nadu
in the 1990s. The Telugu Desam Party (TOP) returned to power and
formed the government in 1995 and remained in office till 2004. The
Akali Dal (AD) also formed a government in the state of Punjab in 1997
in an alliance with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). Thus, these regional
parties have been increasingly successful both at the state level and in
forming the coalition government at the national level. Hence it is
noticed that these parties have been continuously playing an important
role in Indian politics since 1990s and formed governments almost at
the same period starting from 1995 and all the parties remained in
office until the end of their term.

Regionalism in Sikkim is distinct from that of any other part of the

country. The phenomena of regionalism can be better understood on
ethnic-cultural lines in this state. Sikkim is predominantly inhabited by
the three ethnic communities; the Bhutia's, the Lepcha's and the
Nepali's. The Nepali's can be further divided into various sub-groups.
The phenomenon of regionalism in Sikkim is much stronger than the
other states of the Indian Union. Sikkim merged with India only in
1975. It was a small independent Himalayan Kingdom before its merger
and was away from the influence of British India and the Indian Union
before 1975. Since its merger Sikkim has been ruled by regional
political parties more particularly by the Sikkim Janata Parishad from
1979 to 1984, Sikkim Sangram Parishad from 1984 to 1993 and Sikkim
Democratic Front (SDF) from 1994 onwards. Though the first
government was formed by a national political party in 1974, but it
could not survive for long. Sikkim, which is a plural society with
different ethnic-cultural-linguistic groups right from the period of
Namgyal dynasty have always witnessed confrontation between various
communities regarding the issue of distinct cultural and social values.
These groups often claim for separate recognition as a distinct
community as well as constitutional recognition. For example, the
Umboo's and the Tamang's claim that they are a separate socio-cultural
community and therefore they are different from the Nepali's which can
be broadly categorised into Aryans and Mongoloids (Gurung, 2011,
 p.156). 6 The preservation of regional identity more particularly among
the Bhutia's and the Lepcha's was evident even before the merger
period. There are reports that the Lepcha's and the Tsoong's (Limboos)
often resented Bhutia domination in Sikkim which lasted for 333 years
(1642-1974). The formation of a political party- Sikkim Independent
Front Party by Ruth Karthak in 1966 which concentrated in the
articulation of social, economic and political grievances of the Lepchas
in Sikkim also provides evidences to this. Thus, the ethnic divisions and
feeling of community identity is not a new phenomenon in Sikkim. All
this got accentuated after the merger of Sikkim with the Indian Union
after the growth of regional political parties in the state.

Taking the advantage of Sikkim which is traditionally a plural

society as said earlier1 the regional political parties are organised on
traditional bonds and relations. These political parties use ethnic
mobilisation for their support base and eventually they become
successful in capturing political power. The people belonging to different
communities support parties in order to attain their objectives. The fear
of negligence of their community has also been one of the reasons why
people always supported some or the other regional political parties in
the state. Another factor also may be noted here that as in many parts
of the country it is the regional political parties, which was able to bring
necessary developments to the region. That is also the reason why
national political parties have been functioning with a regional base.

With the inception of democracy in Sikkim in 1975 it was

expected that politics based on ethnic-cultural identity would gradually
disappear. But as far as political mobilisation is concerned, ethnic-
cultural identities still rules the political scene in Sikkim. During the
regime of Nar Bahadur Bhandari some of the Sikkimese communities

6
Suresh Kumar Gurung, Sikkim: Ethnicity and Political Dynamics, A Triadic Perspective, Kunal
Books, New Delhi, 2011.

XLVl-JP age
 like Rai, Tamang 1 Manger 1 Limboo, Gurung 1 Sunuwar and so on were
excluded from the status of Other Backward Class category in the state.
This created the feeling of alienation and discrimination among various
groups. Sikkim Democratic Front, a regional political party was formed
which campaigned on the issue of the identity of the left out
communities from the OBC list. SDF also came up with the issue of
giving the constitutional status/ ST status to the Tamang and Limboo
communities. Therefore in Sikkim regional feeling is much stronger than
in any part of the country except in some North East States. The
existence of national political party and their survival story is seldom
told as these political parties have failed to become popular among the
Sikkimese people. Another important factor to be noted in the context
of the national political party being unpopular in the state is that,
Sikkim a young state of the Indian Union has always been away from
the real state structure of India. National integration is very loose and
we do not find any regional political party talking very strongly in terms
of national integration. National political parties had also not tried to
bridge the gap. The regional parties in the state have their focus on
regional issues only.

Sikkim has witnessed demands for the recognition of ethnic

languages as an official language in the state. In 1995-96 six languages
of Nepali sub-groups were granted official status (Gurung, 2011,
p.416). Political parties in Sikkim have always resorted to ethnic-
political mobilisation. More particularly the regional parties like Sikkim
Sangram Parishad (SSP) and Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) which
have ruled Sikkim for more than a decade have mobilized on ethnic
lines for their electoral gain and political purposes. Many other political
parties in Sikkim have also been founded on distinct regional lines. The
parties like the Sikkim Congress (Revolutionary) have been formed with
a distinct regional base. The smaller political parties which have not
been successful in elections function more or less like a pressure group .
. ..
XLVtt 1Page
 -
The parties like the Sikkim Congress (Revolutionary) and the Sikkim
Gorkha Prajatantrik party have their base on supporting the interest of
a concerned community contributing for the regional bias in the state.

The demand of Sikkimese identity is a long debated issue which

was presented in a different way in the pre-merger period and after the
merger of Sikkim. The issue of Sikkimese identity became prominent in
1940's with the rise and the growth of many political parties and socio-
cultural organisations. For political parties like Sikkim Sangram
Parishad, Sikkimese identity was associated with the issue of De-
merger of Sikkim with India. For the existing ruling regional political
party, Sikkimese identity includes the socio-cultural and political
aspects of all the three ethnic groups in the state. This has led to the
concentration more on the community interest and emergence of
community identity consciousness which has further led to the
formation of organisations on ethnic lines. For instance, the Renjyong
Mutanchi Rang Ong Seyzum (Sikkim Lepcha Youth Association)
demands for separate identity for the Lepcha's who are considered to
be the original inhabitants of Sikkim and their protection against the
Bhutias. Akhil Sikkim Kirat Limboo Chumlung, the Limboo organisation
claims that Limboos are not Nepali's and the other organisations being
the Bhutia Organisation like Survival Sikkimese and SIBLAC- Sikkim
Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee, Sikkim Sherpa Association etc.

Therefore the identity factor in Sikkim is seen to be interwoven

with various communities. It is noted that political parties operate
within ethnic lines and the political parties rely on these communities
for electoral support in the state. In Sikkim, regional political parties
identify themselves with one or the other ethnic communities. For
example, the National party, Congress (I) is always backed by the
Tribal's in Sikkim, the Sikkim Sangram Parishad was the party of the
Upper Caste community and the Sikkim Democratic Party is termed to
 be the party of the OBCs. Thus in Sikkim politics centers on ethnic
identity and issues.

In Sikkim party politics right from its inception centers more

around communities rather than on Sikkimese as a whole. Political
parties in Sikkim have been operating on ethnic lines for electoral
gains. Party politics on ethnic lines has further led to social divisions in
the state which paves the way for the formation of various communal
organisations that demand for separate cultural identity within the
state. The factors that is leading the state into such social resentment
can be explained in terms of the presence and demand of linguistic and
cultural differences among various ethnic groups, the absence of an
organised opposition political party in the state and the dominance of
one regional political party for more than a decade. The regional
political parties based on ethnicity- cultural identity are primarily
concerned with the demands based on language, caste, community or
region. These parties mainly identify itself with the interest of a
particular area or community or a linguistic or cultural or religious
group. Regional political parties like the SSP and the SDF has developed
due to the presence of socio-economic-religious-cultural plural society.

Answer to Comment/Query No. B

In response to the second query I would like to state the following:

The SDF came to power in 1994. Before this Sikkim's electoral politics
was dominated by individual leaders like Nar Bahadur Bhandari of
Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP), a regional political party. SSP was a
party which revolved around an individual person and the person was
Bhandari. The party failed to develop and maintain a strong
organisational structure at all levels in the state. This in turn indicates
that the party had very little involvement of the supporters and activists
in party activities. Unlike the SSP, SDF could build a strong
.
XL I)(: Page
 organisational base. The party has set up party committees in all the
four districts of the state. The establishment of party offices and
committees at all block levels has ensured the involvement of people
belonging to all the sections of society in the party. In fact, fronts like
youth fronts, women fronts has helped the party in building its
organisational structure even at the rural level.

Politics in Sikkim revolves around individuals as the leaders are

personalistic leaders. In Sikkim the connection between the leader and
the followers is mostly based on direct personal contact and not
completely at the organisational level. The political parties in Sikkim,
more importantly the SDF has direct contact with the supporters. The
party organises meeting at all levels and mobilises the rural masses.
The leader constantly demonstrates their closeness to the common
people, face to face contact with the masses through television and
other means. The leaders show personal interest in solving the
problems of the people. By doing so the party stands for the upliftment
and development of the rural masses. It is obvious that all these
personal interest makes the leader a popular leader among the people.
Thus, during the elections people vote for the leader as well as the
party.

Political parties in Sikkim, more particularly the SDF plays a

crucial role in the political scenario of the state. National political parties
were virtually washed away in the 2004 assembly elections as the SDF
enjoyed more popularity among the voters of the state. It could win 31
out of total 32 seats in the Legislative Assembly. Sikkim Democratic
Front (SDF) is the single largest of the state level political parties in
Sikkim. It has met with success in the assembly elections of 2004 that
is almost unbelievable for a state level party in India, where the
national parties dominate the political scenario by and large.

t··IPage
 National political parties like the Indian National Congress~ was
the most important of all the national political parties in Sikkim which
started its journey in the state with great success. Soon after Sikkim
was given the status of a state within the Indian democracy, Indian
National Congress in Sikkim emerged as the most prominent national
party. But soon the party lost its support with the rise of regional
political parties and regional issues and demands dominated state
politics. This led to the success of the state level parties in Sikkim
mainly the SSP and the SDF. Other national political parties in Sikkim
includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India
(Marxist) (CPM) which have only very little presence in the state.

With the disappearance of the SSP from the political scene in

Sikkim, SDF claimed and operated as the only political party which
could take the people of Sikkim into prosperity. The strong
organisational structure of the party and its close relation with the
common people converted the party to a "People's Party" in the state.
More than the urban sector, the party gets people's support from the
rural sector because about 75% of the Sikkimese population live in the
rural areas and the rural people are less educated and illiterate. The
lowest level of local self government, that is the rural panchayats and
the panchayats wards are under the control of the party.

The support base of the SDF is the rural masses. Most of the
developmental schemes and policies pursued in the state is for the rural
sector. For instance, the party promised to allot 70°/o of the annual
budget for rural development, grant financial aids, medical aids, and
loans to the farmers at lower rate of interest to purchase modern
technological equipments and instruments, distribution of rice at
cheaper rates, more benefits to the people living below the poverty line
etc. More than this in class terms the substantial support which it
enjoys among the OBCs was the major reason for the success of the
party. SDF is more dependent upon OBCs which constitutes around
70°/o of the Nepali population; remaining 30% are the upper caste
people which backed the SSP. The party has among its supporters
mostly the rural voters and the uneducated lot in the state. The SDF
draws heavily on Sikkimese identity but more particularly identifies with
the poorer sections of the state. It has been observed that earlier
regional political parties attracted voters belonging to only a section of
the Nepali community. The other regional political parties like Sikkim
Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) work in alliance with other National
political parties in the state. In the 2004 assembly elections, SHRP
teamed up with the BJP, INC and a few other regional parties to form
the Sikkim National Liberation Front. It stood fourth in the only
assembly constituency in which it fought. So it is evident from the fact
that it is only the SDF that has been able to build a strong well
organised political party which could gather support from the majority.
Since its formation in 1993 the party has been able to win the support
and trust of the people which would lead Sikkim out of disparities but it
has also developed a good organisational base.

The SSP, a regional political party in the state before the rise of
SDF, came up with the issue of 'De-merger', i.e., to retain the lost
identity of the Sikkimese people. It was termed to be the party of the
upper caste Nepalis in Sikkim. The organisational structure of the party
was not very strong at different levels in the state. Pawan Chamling,
the party President of the SDF was the minister in the SSP government
before he formed a new party of his own. Chamling was aware of the
SSP government's flaws which helped him to build his party into a
strong opposition regional political party to the ruling party in the state.
It also helped him to form the party and organise the party to spread
its wings to the grassroots levels. Chamling was aware that the party
would get more support if it stretches and reaches the rural base.
 Therefore, the party decided to catch the rural mass for his support
base. Chamling, himself being a rural person realised the conditions in
the rural areas and made necessary policies to uplift the rural people.
He started schemes like, land Bank Schemes in 1995 whereby surplus
land owned by private parties were purchased by the government and
• distributed to the landless and poor Sikkimese people. Land under
Khasmal and waste land under forest department were acquired by the
government and distributed to the homeless and landless people in the
state. To make the rural base strong the government under the party
initiated the process of decentralisation. Efficient implementation of the
73"' Amendment Act, 1992, by the state government also enhanced the
participation of the rural people at a much higher level. The policies
which the party initiated like, reservation of seats to the weaker
sections of the society and to different sections of population in
government employment and educational institutions helped the party
in building its position in the state.

SDF came to power in 1994 with a popular slogan like 'Janta ko

Raj ma Jantai Raja' which means that the people are the real ruler in
democracy. The party posed itself to be the real guardian of the people,
mainly the rural poor. Cham!ing's government was termed as 'Kha!i-
Khutte Sarkar' (barefooted government) which also projected him as
the leader of the poor. The party stood for people's power and initiated
many policies which enabled the intense participation of the people in
the affairs of the state. Through interviewees with different walks of life
in different constituencies of the state it was found that the party (SDF)
is the only people's party in the state in contemporary Sikkim. other
political parties, which, raises issue of a particular community are not
very active in state politics. They are prominent only during the time of
elections. This means that these political parties are not very popular
among the people. Thus, it would be right to conclude that the party is
a cadre-based party working at the grassroots level.

(.{jj(Page
 References

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Cambridge University Press.

Pai, Sudha, 1990. 'Regional Parties and the Emerging Pattern of Politics in
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Bhambri, C. P., 1998. Indian Politics since Independence, Vol.l, Delhi: Shipra
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Basu, Subho & Mukhopadhyay, Surajit, C. 1998. "The Crisis of the Centralised
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Suranjan Das (ed.), Electoral Politics in South Asia, Calcutta: K. P. Bagchi &
Company

Khare, Harish, 1998. Parties, National and Regional: Institutions of

Governance, P.R., Chari (ed.) India Towards Millennium, New Delhi:
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Gurung, Suresh Kumar, 2011. Sikkim: Ethnicity and Political Dynamics, A

Triadic Perspective, New Delhi: Kunal Books.

Livll'<l~.(C