GANGTOK: BJP nominee DT Lepcha is about to win the Rajya Sabha election in Sikkim uncontested with no different candidate submitting the nomination papers, officers mentioned on Tuesday. Lepcha, the MLA of Gnathang Machong in Pakyong district, would have anyway received the election with the ruling SKM extending help to him. The BJP and the SKM collectively account for 31 of the meeting’s complete 32 seats.
The stipulated time for the submitting of nomination ended at three pm, and solely Lepcha’s papers had been obtained by the workplace of the Returning Officer, the meeting secretariat mentioned. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will happen on Wednesday, it mentioned.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and BJP state unit president DR Thapa accompanied Lepcha when he filed his nomination papers on the meeting. Lepcha was a minister within the earlier SDF authorities, and held portfolios corresponding to Buildings & Housing, and Transport.
Within the 32-member Sikkim meeting, SKM has 19 members, BJP has 12 and the SDF has one member. BJP didn’t win any seat within the final meeting elections, through which the SKM got here to energy. Lepcha together with 9 MLAs of the SDF converted to the BJP, making it the second largest social gathering within the meeting in a single day. Later, the BJP additionally received by-elections to 2 seats, taking its tally to 12.
Lepcha’s Rajya Sabha nomination is being thought of as his reward for serving to the BJP develop into a significant participant within the Himalayan state. The lone Rajya Sabha seat within the state is at current held by two-term MP Hishey Lachungpa of the opposition SDF. His tenure will finish on February 23. The polling for the election was scheduled on January 19.
