Sikkim Chief Minister creates political record

The ruling party Sikkim Democratic Front won the assembly election by 2/3 majority in Sikkim assembly results of which was declared on Friday.

Sikkim, the erstwhile Chogyal Kingdom and India’s 22nd state,  created a political history  in  India’s independence era when it  voted overwhelmingly  in favour of  ruling Sikkim Democratic Front for   consecutive fifth term in assembly elections  and electing Chamling  as   the longest running head of government of any Indian state  on the promise of  peace, development and sustainability  and  the success of various development works during its 20 years of power .

Chamling   took reins of the state  since December 12, 1994 and has  completed 20 years as  chief minister of Himalayan state. He  is set to  become only  politician  of India to   celebrate silver jubilee as the chief minister  breaking the record of Jyoti Basu who is  considered longest serving chief minister  by holding  the post  in west Bengal for more than 23 years from June 21,1977 to Nov 5, 2000.
 

In the 2014  assembly polls, the ruling  SDF has  won two-third majority in assembly elections by winning 22 seats out of total 32 seats   on the promise of  peace, security and development  which were  the major thrust areas for  fighting the polls in all 32 assembly constituencies of the state  and got   absolute majority  in the  house creating a new record for retaining the  power for  consecutively fifth term.

 

The party  got  majority 55% vote share in multi-corned contest in the state.

Chamling  won from  both Rangang-yangang  and  Namchi-Singhithang assembly  constituencies with huge margin . 

 

The assembly elections, which  were held alongside the  Lok Sabha polls, seem to matter more to the people  in Sikkim than others. 

 

The SDF also won the lone Lok Sabha seat  when its candidate P.D. Rai defeated  main rival Tek Nath Dhakal with  approximately 42000 votes . Since the state sends only one member to the lower house due to its low population, so people were  more excited about assembly  polls  . 

Chamling  was born on September 22, 1950 at Yangang South Sikkim. He joined politics in 1973 and  In 1982 he was elected  as President of Yangyang Gram Panchayat at the age of 32 years and three years later he was   elected to Sikkim legislative assembly for the first time  in 1985.

 

 He was elected  to the fourth legislative assembly from Damthang constituency securing 96% of votes and was inducted as  Minister for Industries, Information and Public Relations from 1989 to 1992.

 

 He formed the Sikkim Democratic Front party on March 4, 1993  with the core principle to uphold democracy, justice,liberty  and development aspirations of the people which swept the polls in the 1994 assembly elections and subsequently   led his party to massive victory in the assembly elections held in the year  1999, 2004 , 2009 and 2014.

 

 The party has won assembly polls five times in a row, and on every occasion the party has won clear and decisive mandate by getting absolute majority in the assembly.

Surrounded by  China, Nepal and Bhutan on three sides , the land-locked state has been the most peaceful  among India’s strife torn north eastern states . The state per capita income of   Rs 1,42,625 in 2012-13, is among the highest in the country and way ahead of the national average.

Sikkim government has initiated a Rs. 391 crore project for constructing nearly 8,000 resilient houses capable of withstanding earthquakes and minimise loss of lives and property.

The state has  forest cover in  3,359 sq km( 47.3 percent)  of its total geographical area -- more than double the national average of 21 perent and in terms of the density of forest canopy, the state has 500 sq km area under very dense forests, 2,161 sq km area under moderately dense, and 698 sq km under open forests.
 

 Chamling  has  been successful in  developing  the state as   model  Himlayan state in the last two decades  Today, it is a global brand name in eco-tourism and   India’s cleanest state has been declared as best region to visit in 2014 by  Lonely Planet.

 

The state is   one of the best-managed small states in the country . The  state has registered an  an annual growth of 12.6 percent over the last eight years.

 Chamling   has scripted the story of growth and development in Sikkim  and  has set the target to  make Sikkim poverty-free by 2017 and at present   it has the lowest percentage of people below the poverty line (BPL). 

 

 In 1993-94, 43% of Sikkim's population lived below the poverty line. Last year's Planning Commission report  showed that  Sikkim recorded the steepest fall in poverty over the last decade - from 30% people in BPL category in 2004-05, the figure was 7.5% in 2012-13. In real terms, that's a little over 50,000 people living below poverty line in the Sikkim  . 

 

The Chief Minister has also made ambitious plan to make  Sikkim the first debt-free state in India.  Sikkim is only state in the country  which has achieved total sanitation coverage. He  has managed to build a development consensus by actively associating different stakeholders in development process of the state.

Chamling is also  an avid writer and poet, who writes under the pen name Pawan Chamling Kiran.

He has immensely   contributed to literary and cultural activities in the Himalyan  state.

 

 He established Nirman Prakashan  in the year  1977 and began the publication of Nirman, a monthly literary magazine from his home town. 

 

  Antahin Sapana Mero Bipana, Perennial Dream and My Reality, Damthang Heeja Ra Aajah, Sikkim Ra Narikoh Maryadhyaa, Democracy Redeemed, Meroh Sapana Koh Sikkim are some of his popular  literary works which have been widely acclaimed at national level. 

Chamling has received several  prestigious  awards and honours in various fields . 

 

He was awarded  Chintan Purashkar (1987) by Sikkim Sahitya Parishad for the best poem , Thekong Ambassador of Peace (2010) by the Pang Lhabsol Committee; Bhanu Puraskar (2010) by Sikkim Sahitya Parishad; Leadership and Good Governance Award (2009) by the Universal Peace Federation; Doctor of Philosophy( Honoris Cousa 2003) by Sikkim Manipal University; Poets' Foundation Award (2002) by Poets Foundation, Kolkata; Manav Seva Purashkar (1999) by Institute of Economic Studies, New Delhi; Man of the Year (1998) by Biographical Institute, USA; Greenest Chief Minister of India (1998) by Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi; Bharat Siromani (1996) by Shiromani Foundation, New Delhi (Presented by the Vice-President of India) for National integration and preservation of democracy in the state.