GUWAHATI: The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) retained power in the Himalayan state by scripting a landslide victory, surprising many poll analysts. The wave in SKM’s favour was such that it swept away even the country’s longest serving chief minister (1994-2019) Pawan Kumar Chamling of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). He contested from two seats and lost both.
Observers say the SKM’s welfare schemes, including ‘Sikkim Aama Yojana’, ‘Bahini’ and ‘Vatsalaya’, and the slogan of ‘Garib Ka Sarkar’ did wonders for the party.
Under Sikkim Aama Yojana which was introduced last year, a financial grant of `20,000 is provided to eligible non-working, unwed, widowed, divorced or separated mothers in the age group of 18-59 years.
Bahini aims at providing 100 per cent access to free and safe sanitary pads to secondary and senior secondary school-going girls while Vatsalaya provides financial assistance up to `3 lakh to Sikkimese couples without children, specifically catering to in-vitro fertilization treatments.
“SKM’s slogan was it is ‘Garib Ka Sarkar’. In the last five years, they did wonderful things for all classes. They had various welfare schemes for all sections, including students and elderly women,” an observer told this newspaper requesting anonymity.
He said the Tamang government did not discriminate against people on party or religious lines and benefits of government schemes were provided to all deserving beneficiaries. The SDF had promised to field young guns but ended up going for mostly veteran candidates.
Also, people were hardly excited about the party. The voters also rejected BJP, Congress and newly floated Citizen Action Party.
“The Congress lost in Sikkim in the last 10-15 years. As for the BJP, its supporters are mostly non-indigenous business people. Given the abrogation of Article 370, people feared if the BJP is voted to power, it will take away Article 371F from Sikkim,” the observer said. Article 371F grants special provisions regarding ownership and transfer of land and its resources.
Slew of measures
An observer pointed out that In the last five years, they did wonderful things for all classes. They had various welfare schemes for all sections, including students and elderly women. Observers say the SKM’s welfare schemes, including ‘Sikkim Aama Yojana’, ‘Bahini’ and ‘Vatsalaya’, and the slogan of ‘Garib Ka Sarkar’ did wonders for the party and that the Tamang government did not discriminate against people on any lines.