GANGTOK: Chief Minister PS Golay on Saturday announced that the upcoming municipal and panchayat elections in Sikkim will be party-based.
The previous civic and rural bodies’ elections held under the SKM government’s first term were not party-based wherein anyone could contest as an independent candidate. No political party could field their candidates or campaign for the candidates.
“Last time we had conducted independent elections for municipal and panchayat bodies but the coming municipal and panchayat elections will be party based,
PS Golay
He was addressing the 7th Jan Unmukti Diwas programme of the ruling SKM at Rangpo ground. Golay, also the SKM president, mentioned that the ruling front had a “bitter experience” when non-party panchayat and municipal elections were held. Candidates won by taking the name of our party but many winning candidates took self-credit saying that they won on their own as an independent, he said. Now let them show this time by winning as an independent candidate, let’s see whether the party candidates or they can win, he said.
The last panchayat election in Sikkim was held in November 2022 while the civic polls took place in April 2021.
In his address, Golay added that the SKM will no longer hold joining programmes, maintaining that the party has won all the 32 Assembly seats and there is no need to do joining programmes.