SKM Wins Big in Sikkim Local Bodies, BJP Grabs a Slice

The ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) clinched victory by winning 58 of the 63 wards in nine urban local bodies across the Himalayan state, without opposition competitors. Their alliance partner, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), secured four wards, as announced by the State Election Commission on Saturday.

The opposition parties, Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the Citizen Action Party Sikkim (CAPS), had pre-announced a boycott of the April 24 municipal elections, citing issues with the reservation criteria for the urban polls. This led to the declaration of 62 SKM and BJP candidates as elected unopposed.

The forthcoming election, limited to the Diesel Power House ward in the Gangtok Municipal Corporation, will feature a competition between BJP's Srijana Chhetri and Independent candidate Bindhya Cintury. This municipal election marks further collaboration between SKM, led by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, and BJP as they navigate coalition politics for Sikkim's development.