Pawan Kumar Chamling

Pawan Chamling Rai
पवन चाम्लिङ
Official Portrait
5th Chief Minister of Sikkim
In office
12 December 1994 – 26 May 2019
Preceded bySanchaman Limboo
Succeeded byPrem Singh Tamang
Leader of the Opposition, Sikkim Legislative Assembly
In office
3 June 2019 – 13 August 2019
Preceded byPrem Singh Tamang
Succeeded byVacant
Member of Sikkim Legislative Assembly
In office
3 June 2019 – 2 June 2024
Preceded byBinod Kumar Rai
Succeeded byKrishna Kumari Rai
ConstituencyNamchi-Singhithang
Personal details
Born (1950-09-22) 22 September 1950 (age 74)
Yangang, Kingdom of Sikkim
(present-day Sikkim, India)
Political partySikkim Democratic Front
Spouse(s)Dhan Maya Chamling Rai
Tika Maya Chamling Rai
Children8
Profession
Websitewww.pawanchamling.com

Pawan Kumar Chamling Rai (born 22 September 1950[1]) is an Indian politician and writer who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim from 1994 to 2019. He is the longest serving Chief Minister of Sikkim and India, surpassing Naveen Patnaik[2][3] Chamling is the Founding President of the Sikkim Democratic Front.[4][5] He also served as the Leader of the opposition, Sikkim Legislative Assembly in the year of 2019. He represents the Namchi-Singhithang constituency in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly since 2019 till 2024 and the Damthang constituency from 1985 to 1994. Prior to establishing the Sikkim Democratic Front, Chamling served as Minister for Industries, Information and Public Relations from 1989 to 1992 in Nar Bahadur Bhandari's cabinet.

Personal life

Chamling was born in Yangang, South Sikkim to Nepali parents Ash Bahadur Chamling Rai and Asha Rani Chamling Rai. Chamling is also a prolific Nepali language writer, and recipient of the Bhanu Puraskar (2010) awarded by Sikkim Sahitya Parishad. He writes under the pen name Pawan Chamling. Mr. Chamling has two wives and 8 children (4 sons and 4 daughters).[6][7][8]

Political career

Chamling was elected as the president of Yangang Gram Panchayat in 1982. In 1985, he was elected to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the first time. After being elected for the second time from Damthang, he became the Minister for Industries, Information and Public Relations from 1989 to 1992 in the Nar Bahadur Bhandari cabinet. After a series of major political upheavals in Sikkim, Chamling formed the Sikkim Democratic Front on 4 March 1993.

Chamling is the second chief minister in India after Jyoti Basu, of West Bengal to govern a state five terms in a row, with his party Sikkim Democratic Front winning the 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 Sikkim Legislative Assembly elections. His party first came to power in Sikkim after winning the 1994 Sikkim assembly elections. His popularity kept soaring in Sikkim due to his developmental work and for maintaining peace.[citation needed] In 2009, his party Sikkim Democratic Front won all 32 assembly seats in Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

In 2012, he faced allegations of corruption and Bhandari, his predecessor as CM, predicted that Chamling would go to jail if he lost his power.[7] And his former comrade Tamang (Golay) developed differences with him and floated his own party. These developments created political challenge for him, but he managed to win the assembly elections of 2014, albeit with a much reduced majority.

Following win in 2014 assembly election, he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the fifth consecutive time on 21 May 2014 by Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil, the Governor of Sikkim. He became the chief minister for a fifth time, a record previously held by Jyoti Basu who ruled West Bengal from 1977 to 2000.[9][6]

His party SDF won 22 out of 32 assembly seats in the 2014 legislative assembly election. 18 months after the 2014 elections, on 30 November 2015, 7 out of 10 opposition MLAs joined the SDF party under the leadership of Pawan Chamling. The ruling front had 29 out of 32 assembly seats in the state.[10]

Chamling resigned as CM after 2019 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election as former member Prem Singh Tamang's Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party formed the government by winning 17 seats out of 32. SDF party won the remaining 15 seats. Two of the SDF legislators had won from two seats each of which one had to be given up, reducing their strength to 13. In August 2019, 10 MLAs quit his party to join Bharatiya Janata Party and in the same month two other legislators joined Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. Thus making Chamling only MLA of the party.[11][12][13] Chamling lost the 2024 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election, marking his first electoral defeat.

Electoral records

Sikkim Legislative Assembly election
Year Constituency Political Party Result Position Votes % Votes % Margin Deposit Source
1985 Damthang Sikkim Sangram Parishad Won 1st/8 2,281 73.79 +57.00 refunded [14]
1989 Won 1st/2 4,227 94.27 +88.54 refunded [15]
1994 Sikkim Democratic Front Won 1st/4 3,904 70.27 +43.93 refunded [16]
1999 Won 1st/3 4,952 72.26 +45.03 refunded [17]
2004 Won 1st/1 - refunded [18]
2009 Poklok-Kamrang Won 1st/6 7,379 80.68 +65.12 refunded [19]
Namchi-Singhithang Won 1st/6 5,653 80.97 +66.51 refunded [19]
2014 Won 1st/3 4,774 55.08 +12.67 refunded [20]
Rangang-Yangang Won 1st/3 6,343 63.84 +32.23 refunded [20]
2019 Poklok-Kamrang Won 1st/5 7,731 59.09 +22.16 refunded [21]
Namchi-Singhithang Won 1st/5 5,054 50.31 +3.75 refunded [22]
2024 Poklok-Kamrang Lost 2nd/5 4,974 34.03 -20.96 refunded [23]
Namchaybong Lost 2nd/5 4,939 36.67 -16.75 refunded [24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pawan Chamling Rai: Bio-note (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Sikkim budget session from 25 June". Zee News. Gangtok. PTI. 13 June 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Pawan Chamling — The Fifth Chief Minister of Sikkim". National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  4. ^ Dahal, Chewan K (6 September 2017). "Sikkim CM wants BJP chief to step in". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  5. ^ "Sikkim's Pawan Chamling becomes longest serving Chief Minister, surpasses former West Bengal Chief M - The New Indian Express". newindianexpress.com. Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Sikkim's Pawan Chamling is the longest serving Chief Minister, surpassing former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu". Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling dangles 'crorepati' dream". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  8. ^ "Chamling's Family Wealth Swells by 80%". outlookindia. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Chamling sworn in as Sikkim CM for record fifth time". The Indian Express. Gangtok. Press Trust of India. 21 May 2014. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
  10. ^ IANS (22 March 2019). "Why are national parties shunned in Sikkim? (Dangal 2019)". News and Analysis from India. A Refreshing approach to news. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  11. ^ BJP now main opposition party in Sikkim even without winning a single seat[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ "10 SDF legislators switch over to BJP". Hindustan Times. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Ten SDF MLAs join BJP: Sikkim may be headed towards Arunachal Pradesh route, as mass crossovers leave ex-CM in the lurch". Firstpost. 14 August 2019. Archived from the original on 1 December 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  14. ^ "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1985 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1985. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  15. ^ "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1989 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1989. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  16. ^ "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1994 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1994. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  17. ^ "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1999 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1999. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  18. ^ "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 2004 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 2004. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  19. ^ a b "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 2009 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 2009. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  20. ^ a b "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 2014 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 2014. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Poklok Kamrang Election Result 2019 LIVE COUNTING". Firstpost. 27 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  22. ^ "Namchi Singhithang Election Result 2019 LIVE COUNTING". Firstpost. 27 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Sikkim Democratic Front: From dominance to decline".
  24. ^ "Sikkim Democratic Front: From dominance to decline".
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Minister of Sikkim
12 December 1994 – 27 May 2019 		Succeeded by