Sikkim: SDF to boycott Local Body poll

Gangtok, March 27 (IANS) The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) on Friday announced it will boycott the upcoming Urban Local Body (ULB) elections, alleging that the seat reservation matrix is “unfair, unconstitutional and based on an unverified census.”

Addressing a press conference, SDF vice president Krishna Kharel said the party would stay away from the polls until “just and proportionate representation” is ensured for all communities.

He questioned the state government’s assertion that a census was conducted in 2022, as stated by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang during a one-day Assembly session on Thursday.

“The Chief Minister claimed that a census was held in 2022, but there is no public record or notification. As far as we know, the only valid census is the 2011 national census, and any reservation must be based on that,” Kharel said.

He added that reliance on an unpublished survey violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law.

Highlighting disparities, Kharel claimed the Gurung community has been allotted just one seat statewide, the Limboo community two reserved and one unreserved seat, while the Tamang community has received eight reserved seats.

He argued that Central OBCs should have been allocated around 17 seats instead of eight, and State OBCs about 14-15 seats instead of 11, based on earlier data.

Describing the alleged 2022 exercise as a “party-driven and unannounced census,” Kharel said no all-party consultation or public participation preceded the reservation process.

He also alleged that despite submitting objections to the State Election Commission, the party has not received a substantive response.

Kharel further criticised the timing of the polls, noting they were announced within days of the reservation notification, leaving little room for stakeholders to respond.

He also questioned the urgency of elections in newly created districts like Pakyong and Soreng.

Meanwhile, Tamang maintained that the reservation exercise was based on a Cabinet-approved 2022 census, asserting that seat allocation reflects population trends and dismissing allegations of imbalance as baseless.

--IANS

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