Template:Infobox election General elections were held in Sikkim in January 1973.[1][2] The Sikkim National Party emerged as the largest party, winning nine of the 18 elected seats.[3]
Electoral system
The State Council was established in 1953 by the Chogyal.[4] It originally had 18 members, of which 12 were elected and six (including the President) appointed by the Chogyal.[4] Of the 12 elected members, six were for the Nepali community and six for the Lepcha and the Bhutia communities.[4] For the 1958 elections the number of seats was increased to 20 by adding one seat for the Sangha and an additional appointed member.[4] In 1966 a further four seats had been added; one each for the Nepali and Lepcha/Bhutia communities, together with one for the Tsong and a scheduled caste seat.[5]
Candidates for election to the Council had to be at least 30 years old, whilst the voting age was set at 21.[4]
Election schedule
The election schedule was announced by the Election Commission on 23 September 1972.[6]Template:Rp
| # | Poll Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Publication of final electoral rolls | 24 October 1972 |
| 2 | Last Date for filing nomination | 31 October 1972 |
| 3 | Last date for withdrawal of nominations | 25 November 1972 |
| 4 | Polling - Phase 1 (West, South districts) | 10 January 1973 |
| Polling - Phase 2 (Gangtok, East, North districts) | 23 January 1973 | |
| 5 | Date of Counting | 29 January 1973 |
| 6 | Announcement of Results | 15 February 1973 |
Campaign
Prior to the elections the Sikkim State Congress and the Sikkim Janata Party merged to form the Sikkim Janata Congress.[2]
Results
Constituency-wise
| # | Constituency | Reservation | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West | Sikkimese Nepali | Chattra Bahadur Chettri | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Congress |
| 2 | Chandra Bahadur Rai | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Congress | ||
| 3 | Bhutia-Lepcha | Thendup Tsering Bhutia | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party | |
| 4 | South | Sikkimese Nepali | Durga Prasad Rai | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Congress |
| 5 | Bhuwani Prasad Kharel | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim Janata Congress | ||
| 6 | Bhutia-Lepcha | Khunzang Dorji | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party | |
| 7 | Gangtok | Sikkimese Nepali | Ashok Tsering Bhutia | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party |
| 8 | Bhutia-Lepcha | Harka Bahadur Basnett | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party | |
| 9 | East | Sikkimese Nepali | Nima Tenzing | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party |
| 10 | Kalzing Gyatso | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party | ||
| 11 | Bhutia-Lepcha | Bhuwani Prasad Dahal | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim Janata Congress | |
| 12 | North | Sikkimese Nepali | Netuk Lama | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party |
| 13 | Ugyen Palzor Kazi | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party | ||
| 14 | Bhutia-Lepcha | Kul Bahadur Chettri | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Party | |
| 15 | General | None | Kazi Lhendup Dorjee | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Congress |
| 16 | SC | Purna Bahadur Khati | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Independent | |
| 17 | Tsong | Krishna Bahadur Limbu | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Sikkim National Congress | |
| 18 | Sangha | Peyching Lama[7] | style="background-color: Template:Party color"| | Independent | |
| Source: Election Committee[6]Template:Rp | |||||
Appointed members
In addition to the elected members, six members were appointed to the Sikkim State Council by the Chogyal on 5 March; Traten Sherba Gyaltsen, Madan Mohan Rasaily, Chhoutuk Tsering Pazo, Dhan Bahadur Chettri, Kali Prasad Rai and Atang Lepcha.[8]
Aftermath
Following the election, the Sikkim National Congress and Sikkim Janata Congress claimed that vote rigging took place in the South Sikkim constituency.[9] They demanded that officials involved were arrested, but these demands were not met, leading to protests.[2] The unrest led to the signing of a tripartite agreement on 8 May between the Choygal, Sikkimese political parties and the government of India. The agreement provided for the establishment of a responsible government under the supervision of a Chief Executive nominated by the Indian government.
References
- ↑ Election Department - Notification No. 3/CE(23 September 1972). Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hamlet Bareh (2001) Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim Mittal Publications, p18
- ↑ Sikkim Template:Webarchive Institute of Developing Economies
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Bareh, p16
- ↑ Bareh, p17
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Declaration of Election Results(15 February 1973). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ↑ Smash And Grab - Annexation Of Sikkim{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1984)
- ↑ Nominations of Sikkim Council members(5 March 1973). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ↑ The 8th May Agreement(8 May 2021). Retrieved 10 July 2021.