View source for 2009 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = Sikkim Assembly Elections 2009
| country = India
| type = legislative
| ongoing = no
| party_colour = 
| previous_election = 2004 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election
| previous_year = 2004
| next_election = 2014 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election
| next_year = 2014
| election_date = 30 April 2009
| seats_for_election = All 32 Assembly Constituencies
| turnout = 83.78%<ref>SDF is being marked as part of UPA for the purpose of this Infobox since they provide support to the UPA Government at the centre. However, they are not officially part of the UPA and did not fight the Sikkim election alongside the UPA {{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/20/stories/2009052055241200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524073847/http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/20/stories/2009052055241200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-05-24|title= All my State wants is justice: Chamling |date=2009-05-20|work=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=2009-10-28}}</ref>

| image1 = Indian Election Symbol Umberlla.png
| leader1 = [[Pawan Kumar Chamling]]
| leader_since1 = 1994
| party1 = Sikkim Democratic Front
| alliance1 = United Progressive Alliance
| leaders_seat1 = Poklok-kamrang
| running_mate1 = 
| last_election1 = 2004
| seats_before1 = 31
| seats_needed1 = 17
| seats1 = 32
| seat_change1 = +1
| popular_vote1 = 165,991
| percentage1 = 65.91%
| swing1 = -5.18%

<!-- Congress -->
| image2 = Hand INC.svg
| leader2 = [[Nar Bahadur Bhandari]]
| leader_since2 = 
| party2 = Indian National Congress
| alliance2 = United Progressive Alliance
| leaders_seat2 = ''none''
| last_election2 = 2004
| seats_before2 = 1
| seats_needed2 = 17
| seats2 = 0
| seat_change2 = -1
| popular_vote2 = 69,612
| percentage2 = 27.64%
| swing2 = +1.51%

<!-- Election Map -->| map_image = Location map India Sikkim.svg
| map_size = 200px
| map_caption = [[Sikkim]] District Map
<!-- Chief Minister -->| title = [[Chief Minister of Sikkim|CM]]
| before_election = [[Pawan Kumar Chamling]]
| before_party = Sikkim Democratic Front
| posttitle = [[Chief Minister of Sikkim|CM]]-elect
| after_election = [[Pawan Kumar Chamling]]
| after_party = Sikkim Democratic Front
}}
The '''Sikkim Legislative Assembly election of 2009''' took place in April 2009, concurrently with the [[2009 Indian general election]]. The elections were held in the state for all 32 legislative assembly seats along with the third phase of [[2009 Indian general elections]] on 30 April 2009. The results were declared on 5 May 2009. The [[Sikkim Democratic Front]] (SDF) further strengthened their majority in the Sikkim Assembly by winning all the seats. Incumbent [[Chief Minister of Sikkim|Chief Minister]] [[Pawan Kumar Chamling]]'s Government returned for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term having won previous elections in 1994, 1999, and 2004.

==Previous Assembly==
In the [[2004 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election]], the SDF almost had a clean-sweep winning 31 of the 32 seats in the state. [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] was the only other party to win any seats, winning the [[Sangha (Buddhism)|Sangha]] seat that is reserved for the monks and nuns of Sikkim's many monasteries. P.K. Chamling led SDF had already formed the previous two Governments in Sikkim having first formed the Government after the 1994 election, when they won 19 seats within a year of the party being formed),<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1994 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim|url=http://eci.nic.in/StatisticalReports/SE_1994/StatisticalReport-SK94.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410003205/http://eci.nic.in/StatisticalReports/SE_1994/StatisticalReport-SK94.pdf|archive-date=10 April 2009|access-date=2009-10-28|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]}}</ref> and then again after the 1999 election, when they increased their tally to 24 seats.<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1999 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim|url=http://eci.nic.in/StatisticalReports/SE_1999/StatisticalReport-SK99.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410001824/http://eci.nic.in/StatisticalReports/SE_1999/StatisticalReport-SK99.pdf|archive-date=10 April 2009|access-date=2009-10-28|publisher=[[Election Commission of India]]}}</ref> Chamling's third term began on May 21, 2004, when he and his 11cabinate ministers were sworn in by the then [[Governor of Sikkim]] [[V. Rama Rao]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/22/stories/2004052201091300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040702212205/http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/22/stories/2004052201091300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-07-02|title= Will strive to remove urban, rural disparities: Chamling |last=Dam|first=Marcus|date=2009-05-21|work=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=2009-10-28}}</ref>

==Background==
With the tenure of the Sikkim Assembly scheduled to expire on 23 May 23 2009, the [[Election Commission of India]] announced<ref name="ECI-2009">{{cite web|url=http://eci.nic.in/press/current/pn020309.pdf |title=General Elections to Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Sikkim |date=2 March 2009 |publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] |access-date=2009-10-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619061120/http://eci.nic.in/press/current/pn020309.pdf |archive-date=19 June 2009 }}</ref> on 2 March 2009, that the elections to the Sikkim Assembly would be held at the same time as the [[2009 Indian general election|general election]]. Sikkim voted in the third phase of the 5-phase national election.

Though SDF had provided external support to [[Manmohan Singh]]'s Congress-led [[United Progressive Alliance|UPA]] Government at the Centre since 2004, the SDF and Congress were the main political opponents in Sikkim. Ironically, the Congress was led in the state by [[Nar Bahadur Bhandari]], mentor and former colleague of Chamling.

In this election UDF was formed by coalition of BJP, INC and few other parties, which was thrown into disarray with its constituents appearing to go separate.

===Schedule of election===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Poll Event
! Dates
|-
| Announcement & Issue of Press Note
| align="center" |  Monday, 02 Mar 2009
|-
| Issue of Notification
| align="center" |  Thursday, 02 Apr 2009
|-
| Last Date for filing Nominations
| align="center" |  Thursday, 09 Apr 2009
|-
| Scrutiny of Nominations
| align="center" |  Friday, 10 Apr 2009
|-
| Last date for withdrawal of Candidature
| align="center" |  Monday, 13 Apr 2009
|-
| Date of Poll
| align="center" |  Thursday, 30 Apr 2009
|-
| Counting of Votes on
| align="center" | Saturday, 16 May 2009
|-
| Date of election being completed
| align="center" | Saturday, 23 May 2009
|-
! Constituencies Polling on this day
! 32
|-
! colspan=2 align="center" |   Source: [[Election Commission of India]]<ref name="ECI-2009" />
|}

[[File:Sikkim in India.png|thumb|right|Location of [[Sikkim]] in [[India]]]]

===Parties and candidates===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Party Type
! Code
! Party Name
! Number of<br />candidates
! Total
|-
! rowspan=4 | National Parties
| BJP
| [[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| 11
| rowspan=4 align="center" | '''57'''
|-
| CPM
| [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
| 3
|-
| INC
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| 32
|-
| NCP
| [[Nationalist Congress Party]]
| 11
|-
! State Parties
| SDF
| [[Sikkim Democratic Front]]
| 32
| align="center" | '''32'''
|-
! rowspan=3 | Unrecognised or <br />Unregistered Parties
| SGPP
| Sikkim Gorkha Prajatantrik Party
| 27
| rowspan=3 align="center" | '''53'''
|-
| SHRP
| Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad
| 20
|-
| SJEP
| Sikkim Jan-Ekta Party
| 6
|-
! Independents
| ''n/a''
| Independents
| 25
| align="center" | '''25'''
|-
! colspan=4 | Total:
! 167
|-
! colspan=5 | Source: [[Election Commission of India]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009|title=Statistical Report on General Election, 2009 to the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim|url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/AE2009/Stats_SK_April2009.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404202702/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/AE2009/Stats_SK_April2009.pdf|archive-date=2014-04-04|website=eci.nic.in|publisher=Election Commission of India}}</ref>
|}

==Results==
=== Government formation===
The SDF went from strength to strength and this time won even the single seat that had eluded them in 2004. With a clean sweep of all 32 seats in the state, Chamling was sworn in for his fourth consecutive term as Chief Minister by Governor [[Balmiki Prasad Singh|B.P. Singh]] at the Gangtok Raj Bhawan on May 20, 2009. This Government included Neeru Sewa and Tilu Gurung who became the first ever women Cabinet ministers in Sikkim.

{| class=wikitable
!colspan=2|Party
! No. of candidates
! No. of elected
! No. of votes
! %
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Bharatiya Janata Party}}"|
|[[Bharatiya Janata Party]]
| 11
| 0
| 1966
| {{percentage|1966|251851|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Communist Party of India (Marxist)}}"|
|[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]
| 3
| 0
| 272
| {{percentage|272|251851|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Indian National Congress}}"|
| [[Indian National Congress]]
| 32
| 0
| 69612
| {{percentage|69612|251851|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Sikkim Democratic Front}}"|
| [[Sikkim Democratic Front]]
| 32
| 32
| 165991
| {{percentage|165991|251851|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad}}"|
| [[Sikkim Democratic Front]]
| 20
| 0
| 5516
| {{percentage|5516|251851|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Nationalist Congress Party}}"|
| [[Nationalist Congress Party]]
| 11
| 0
| 1065
| {{percentage|1065|251851|2}}
|-
|bgcolor="{{party color|Independent (politician)}}"|
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
| 16
| 0
| 3450
| {{percentage|3450|251851|2}}
|-
|||| SGPP
| 27
| 0
| 2909
| {{percentage|2909|251851|2}}
|-
|||| SJEP
| 6
| 0
| 497
| {{percentage|497|251851|2}}
|-
|colspan=2| '''Total:'''
| 167
| 32
| 251851
|
|}

===Number of seats===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Party
! Flag
! Seats Won
! Seats Change
! Popular Vote
! Vote Share
! Swing
|-
| [[Sikkim Democratic Front]]
| [[File:Sikkim-Democratic-Front-flag.svg|60px]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 32
| style="text-align:center;" | +1
| style="text-align:center;" | 165,991
| style="text-align:center;" | 65.91%
| style="text-align:center;" | -5.18%
|-
| [[Indian National Congress]]
|
| style="text-align:center;" | 0
| style="text-align:center;" | -1
| style="text-align:center;" | 69,612
| style="text-align:center;" | 27.64%
| style="text-align:center;" | +1.51%
|-
| colspan=7 | Source: Election Commission of India <ref>http://eci.nic.in/Analysis/</ref><ref>http://eci.nic.in/StatisticalReports/SE_2004/StatisticalReports_SK_2004.pdf</ref>
|}

==Elected members==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col" | #
! scope="col" | Constituency
|Reserved for<br/>([[Bhutia-Lepcha|BL]]/[[Scheduled Castes|SC]]/None)
! scope="col" | Member 
! colspan=2 | Party
|-
| 1 || [[Yoksam-Tashiding (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Yoksam-Tashiding]] || BL || A P Sharma || {{Full party name with color|Sikkim Democratic Front|rowspan=32}}
|-
| 2 || [[Yangthang (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Yangthang]] || None || B B Rai
|-
| 3 || [[Maneybong Dentam (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Maneybong Dentam]] || None || B Dhungel
|-
| 4 || [[Gyalshing-Barnyak (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gyalshing-Barnyak]] || None || B K Rai
|-
| 5 || [[Rinchenpong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rinchenpong]] || BL || B S Panth
|-
| 6 || [[Daramdin (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Daramdin]] || BL || C B Karki
|-
| 7 || [[Soreng-Chakung (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Soreng-Chakung]] || None || C M Subba
|-
| 8 || [[Salghari-Zoom (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Salghari-Zoom]] || SC || D B Thapa
|-
| 9 || [[Barfung (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Barfung]] || BL || D L Lepcha
|-
| 10 || [[Poklok-Kamrang (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Poklok-Kamrang]] || None || D N Bhutia
|-
| 11 || [[Namchi-Singhithang (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Namchi-Singhithang]] || None || D N Thakarpa
|-
| 12 || [[Melli (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Melli]] || None || K T Gyaltsen
|-
| 13 || [[Namthang-Rateypani (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Namthang-Rateypani]] || None || L Lepcha
|-
| 14 || [[Temi-Namphing (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Temi-Namphing]] || None || M B Dahal
|-
| 15 || [[Rangang-Yangang (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rangang-Yangang]] || None || M Cintury
|-
| 16 || [[Tumin Lingee (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Tumin Lingee]] || BL || Menlom Lepcha
|-
| 17 || [[Khamdong-Singtam (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Khamdong-Singtam]] || None || N K Pradhan
|-
| 18 || [[West Pendam (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|West Pendam]] || SC || Neru Sewa
|-
| 19 || [[Rhenock (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Rhenock]] || None || P Gurung
|-
| 20 || [[Chujachen (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Chujachen]] || None || P L Subba
|-
| 21 || [[Gnathang-Machong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gnathang-Machong]] || BL || [[P S Tamang]]
|-
| 22 || [[Namchaybong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Namchaybong]] || None || P T Bhutia
|-
| 23 || [[Shyari (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Shyari]] || BL || [[Pawan Chamling]]
|-
| 24 || [[Martam-Rumtek (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Martam-Rumtek]] || BL || R B Subba
|-
| 25 || [[Upper Tadong (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Upper Tadong]] || None || S G Bhutia
|-
| 26 || [[Arithang (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Arithang]] || None || S G Lepcha
|-
| 27 || [[Gangtok (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Gangtok]] || None || T D Rai
|-
| 28 || [[Upper Burtuk (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Upper Burtuk]] || None || T Gurung
|-
| 29 || [[Kabi Lungchok (Vidhan Sabha Constituency)|Kabi Lungchok]] || BL || T Sherpa
|-
| 30 || [[Djongu (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Djongu]] || BL || T T Bhutia
|-
| 31 || [[Lachen-Mangan (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Lachen-Mangan]] || BL || T W Lepcha
|-
| 32 || [[Sangha (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Sangha]] || Sangha || U T Gyatso
|-style="sortbottom"
|colspan=6|Sources:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Members of the Legislative Assembly|url=http://sikkim.gov.in/asp/ministers/mla_list.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807085858/http://sikkim.gov.in/asp/ministers/mla_list.htm|archive-date=2012-08-07|website=sikkim.gov.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Telephone Directory up to June, 2010|url=http://sikkim.gov.in/asp/Miscc/TELEPHONE%20DIRECTORY%20UPTO%20APRIL.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503214218/http://sikkim.gov.in/asp/Miscc/TELEPHONE%20DIRECTORY%20UPTO%20APRIL.pdf|archive-date=2012-05-03|website=sikkim.gov.in}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[State Assembly elections in India, 2009]]
* [[Indian general election in Sikkim, 2009]]
* [[Assembly election results of Sikkim]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Sikkimese elections}}

{{#seo:
|keywords=State Assembly elections in Sikkim, 2009 State Assembly elections in India, 2000s in Sikkim
|description=
}}

[[Category:State Assembly elections in Sikkim]]
[[Category:2009 State Assembly elections in India]]
[[Category:2000s in Sikkim]]