1973 Sikkimese general election

General elections were held in Sikkim in 1973.[1] The Sikkim National Party emerged as the largest party, winning nine of the 18 elected seats.[2]

Electoral system

The State Council was established in 1953 by the Chogyal.[3] It originally had 18 members, of which 12 were elected and six (including the President) appointed by the Chogyal.[3] Of the 12 elected members, six were for the Nepali community and six for the Lepcha and the Bhutia communities.[3] For the 1958 elections the number of seats was increased to 20 by adding one seat for the Sangha and an additional appointed member.[3] 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.[4]

Candidates for election to the Council had to be at least 30 years old, whilst the voting age was set at 21.[3]

Campaign

Prior to the elections the Sikkim State Congress and the Sikkim Janata Party merged to form the Sikkim Janata Congress.[1]

Results

Party	Votes	%	Seats
Sikkim National Party			9
Sikkim National Congress			5
Sikkim Janata Congress			2
Independents			2
Appointed members	–	–	6
Invalid/blank votes		–	–
Total			24
Source: AC Sinha

Aftermath

Following the election, the Sikkim National Congress and Sikkim Janata Congress claimed that vote rigging took place in one constituency. They demanded that officials involved were arrested, but these demands were not met, leading to protests.[1] 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

1. Hamlet Bareh (2001) Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim Mittal Publications, p18
2. Sikkim Archived 2014-02-19 at the Wayback Machine Institute of Developing Economies
3. Bareh, p16
4. Bareh, p17