BJP’s Sikkim Ambitions: As MLAs Defect, Voters Take To The Streets

Post Art 370’s abrogation, Sikkimese people fear that Article 371F, which governs their state, may face the ‘axe’.

A citizen protest was organised in Sikkim’s capital, Gangtok, under the aegis of the SPYF (Sikkim Progressive Youth Forum), and supported by many other NGOs and citizen groups on Tuesday, 20 August.

There has been a lot of chatter in Sikkim ever since 10 MLAs from the opposition party, the SDF (Sikkim Democratic Front), joined the BJP. Subsequently, two more SDF MLAs defected to the ruling party – SKM (Sikkim Krantikarai Morcha), leaving Pawan Kumar Chamling, a stalwart of Sikkimese politics, the lone member in his party in the assembly.

Thinley, a citizen protester, said: “These MLAs have lost the moral right to become representatives of the people.”

Overnight, the BJP became the main opposition in a state where they had won less than 2 percent of the vote share in the last elections.

How Safe Is Article 371F Which Governs Sikkim?

These twists and turns have been followed very closely by the Sikkimese people. There has always been a tradition of distrust of national parties in Sikkim, but this development, coming on the heels of the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A in Kashmir, has brought with it fears of Article 371 F, the provision that governs Sikkim, facing a similar fate.

The BJP has made a strong case for Sikkim, and it’s only a matter of time before we see how that works for them.

The local media is full of stories about how ‘safe’ 371 F is, and what the BJP’s ambitions for Sikkim could be. There is a lot of confusion at the moment, and much chatter on social media.

Against this backdrop, the SPFY organised this protest on 20 August, as the start of a concerted campaign to ask for the resignation of all the MLAs who have defected. Speaking to the local press, SPYF member, Sagar Sharma, said: “If a party with 1.62 percent vote share can become the principal opposition in the state without even winning a single seat, then can you rule out the possibility that it may even form the government? This is an absolute mockery of people’s mandate...”

A Contradictory ‘State’

The citizen protest has put the establishment in a spot. The ruling party SKM supports the BJP at the Centre, and it obviously does not want to displease its powerful ally. At the same time, their ally at the Centre has now become their principal opposition in the state. A contradictory state of affairs, and it showed in the way the permissions to the protest were granted.

After the abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A in Kashmir, fears of Article 371 F — which governs Sikkim — facing a similar fate, have emerged.

First, the state police would not grant permission, citing ‘internal threat’, then they gave the permission but changed the route so that the rally would not go through town but go via the Indira bypass (a mostly uninhabited stretch, to end at the District Court).

‘Turncoat MLAs Have Lost Moral Right To Represent Us’

The small, but passionate group of protesters, walked the winding 3 km stretch accompanied by more than three times the number of police, paramilitary and riot police.

Thinley, one of the citizens who participated in the drive, said: “These MLAs have lost the moral right to become representatives of the people. We voted them based on their parties’ ideologies – if they can switch parties so easily, what do the voters vote them on the basis of? What happened to all the promises in their election manifesto? They have to resign if they want to have a future in Sikkimese politics.”

The protest finally ended with with a pledge by the organisers to continue this campaign until the MLAs resign.

It will be interesting to see where these developments lead to over the next few days. The BJP has made a strong case for Sikkim, and it’s only a matter of time before we see how that works for them.

(Amrit Sharma has a Masters in Mass Communication, and until recently, he headed the communications team at a private equity firm in New Delhi. He has just moved back to Sikkim, and is starting a community-based venture there. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)