Lok Sabha Election 2019: Sikkim votes today; SDF to take on Congress, BJP for 1 seat

Sikkim is conducting its Lok Sabha and Assembly elections simultaneously today. It is one of the one of the 20 states that are voting in the first phase of the general elections.  The elections in Sikkim will be completed in one phase. There is only one Lok Sabha seat in Sikkim, voting for which will take place on April 11. Result of the election will be declared on May 23.

Major parties in Sikkim

The dominant party in Sikkim is Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has been ruling since 1996. Indian National Congress won from that seat only once in 1977 - the first elections Sikkim took part in after becoming a part of India was in 1975. The Chief Minister of Sikkim Pawan Chamling is from the SDF party. Chamling has been in office for 25 years now.

At present the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the main Opposition party Congress have minimal presence in the state.

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Lok Sabha Elections 2019 candidates

The primary candidate from the Sikkim Lok Sabha seat is SDF's Prem Das Rai. Rai has held that seat for two consecutive terms. He was elected in 2009 and reelected in the 2014 election. BJP has fielded Laten Tshering Sherpa and Congress has fielded Bharat Basnett to take on current MP Prem Das Rai.

Along with Sikkim, the other states that will conduct the Lok Sabha 2019 polls on April 11 are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman and Lakshadweep.

Also read: Lok Sabha Election 2019: Poll dates, full schedule, Voting FAQs, election results, constituencies' details

Also read: Complete list of state-wise Lok Sabha election 2019 dates: EC announces 7-phase poll, result on May 23