1974 Sikkimese general election

General elections were held in Sikkim on 13 April 1974. They were the first elections in Sikkim to be held on the basis of universal suffrage, and also the last as an independent country.[1] The result was a victory for the Sikkim National Congress, which won 31 of the 32 seats in the State Council. Kazi Lhendup Dorjee subsequently became Chief Minister.[2] In May 1975 Sikkim became a state of India,[3] at which point the State Council became the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.[4]

Background

In the 1973 elections the Sikkim National Party won nine seats out of eighteen elected seats in the 24-seat Sikkim Assembly.[5] The Sikkim National Congress and Sikkim Janata Congress claimed there had been vote rigging, leading to protests. Political parties and members of the public demanded one man, one vote. On 8 May 1973 a tripartite agreement was signed between the Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, 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.[6][7]

Electoral system

Through the Representations of Sikkim Subjects Act, 1974, the Chogyal divided Sikkim into 31 territorial constituencies and one Sangha constituency. The 31 territorial constituencies were allocated as 15 for Nepalis, 15 for the Bhutia-Lepcha and one for scheduled castes under a parity formula. The Sangha constituency represented Chogyal-recognized monasteries.[8]

Campaign

The Sikkim National Congress contested all the 32 seats, whilst the Sikkim National Party contested five seats. Elections were held with the support of Election Commission of India.[9]

Results
Party Votes % Seats
Sikkim National Congress31
Sikkim National Party1
Total32
Source: Sikkim Assembly

References
  1. "Verdict in Sikkim". Economic and Political Weekly. 14 (42/43): 1737–1738. 27 October 1979. JSTOR 4368050.
  2. Sikkim Legislative Assembly: An overview Sikkim Assembly
  3. Gupta, Ranjan (September 1975). "Sikkim: The Merger with India". Asian Survey. 15 (9): 786–798. doi:10.1525/as.1975.15.9.01p0110k. JSTOR 2643174.
  4. "The Constitution (Thirty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1975". www.india.gov.in. ... the Assembly for Sikkim formed as a result of the elections held in Sikkim in April, 1974 ... shall be deemed to be the Legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim
  5. "AC Sinha" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. "R.C. Poudyal and ANR. Vs. Union of India and ORS" (PDF). Supreme Court of India. 10 February 1993. Retrieved 20 January 2021. It further recited that the Chogyal as well as the representative of the people had requested the Government of India to assume responsibility ... to provide the head of the administration described as Chief Executive to help and achieve the State’s objectives. ... The Chief Executive was to be nominated by the Government of India
  7. "How Sikkim became a part of India". The Pioneer. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2021. This agreement had significantly curtailed the powers of the Chogyal and laid the grounds for holding fresh elections in April 1974 under the aegis of the Election Commission of India (ECI)
  8. Bareh, Hamlet (2001). Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. p. 44. ISBN 81-7099-794-1.
  9. Bareh, p. 18
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