Gangtok, April 11 (IANS) Prem Das Rai, the only parliamentarian with IIT and IIM degrees, is facing a challenge from a newly formed outfit in Sikkim's sole Lok Sabha seat. But, he says, "anti-incumbency is not a factor here".
"We will win. We have no doubts. It's good to have a challenge.
"Anti-incumbency is not a factor here. Our campaign plank of development and prosperity has found wide acceptance among the electorate. We are also highlighting the need for peace in view of the violence unleashed by the SKM," Rai told IANS.
Amid a six-cornered contest, sitting Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) MP P.D. Rai seems confident despite a challenge from the newly formed Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM). The two national parties, Congress and the BJP, are not major players in this pretty and sparsely populated border state, flanked on three sides by China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan, that goes to the hustings Saturday.
Rai, the only member of parliament with degrees from both the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur) as also the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), had bagged the seat in 2009 by humbling Kharananda Upreti of the Congress with a margin of almost 85,000 votes. He had secured a staggering 63 percent of the votes polled in the last election.
The landlocked state - country's least populated and the second smallest in area after Goa - has elected SDF nominees in all the five general elections since 1996, but the SKM candidate Tek Nath Dhakal is hoping to halt the ruling party's juggernaut this time around.
The SKM, which came into existence only last year, has got the backing of former chief minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari's Sikkim Sangram Parishad, and is hoping to cash in on an anti-incumbency factor building up against chief minister Pawan Chamling's SDF, in power without any break in the state since 1994.
The state is holding the polls for the 32-seat assembly simultaneously with the general elections.
Only the SDF, SKM and the Congress have put up candidates in all the assembly seats, the BJP in 13 and the Trinamool Congress in seven. The SDF had made a clean sweep of all the seats in 2009.
Rai feels Bhandari's backing would have no effect in the elections, as the 73-year old leader has lost touch with the masses.
The Congress has fielded Akar Dhoj Limbu, a medical practitioner, as the party strives to record its second victory from the Lok Sabha seat after winning the inaugural polls in 1977, two years after Sikkim formally joined the Indian union.
Nakul Das Rai, who won the Lok Sabha seat in 2004 on an SDF ticket, is in fray as a candidate of the Trinamool Congress, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has named Nar Bahadur Khatiwara. Kaushal Rai - joining the action on the broom symbol of the fledgling Aam Admi Party - completes the all-male club.
The total number of electors is 362,326 - 186,826 male, and 175,500 female.
A major issue has been the grant of tribal status - that will ensure special concessions and affirmative action - to the majority Nepali community which forms about 50 percent of the population.
Rai has been promising that the SDF government would declare Sikkim a tribal state, on the lines of the recommendations of the B.K. Roy Burman commission's report entitled "Human Ecology and Statutory Status of Ethnic Entities in Sikkim" that was published in 2008.
"A new government is set to come to power in Delhi after the polls. We will do whatever needs to be done,' he said.
On the other hand the Buddhists - the largest minority group constituting about 30 percent of the population - have been demanding installation of the spiritual leader Karmapa - of the Kagyu tribe of Tibetan Buddhism - to his seat in the famed Rumtek Monastery close to the state capital. All six contestants have promised to fulfil the demand.
Polling would take place in 538 booths with the Election Commission pressing into service over 3,200 polling personnel.
Will a person never die after spending one and a half crores: People freezing dead bodies to be alive again in the future; What is cryonics?
It is about the year 2018. The mother of Subhabrata Majumdar, who lived in Kolkata's 'James Long Sarani Colony', died. After this Majumdar decided to keep the dead body of the mother in the freezer of
Animal: Sandeep Reddy defends Ranbir Kapoor-Trupti Dimri's boot-licking scene, says - there is nothing anti-women in it
Amidst the success of Animal, the film has also been the subject of frequent controversies. Many scenes and dialogues in the film enraged a section of the audience. The animal was also given many tags
Dance in Metro: The girl danced in the filled metro, people said something like this after watching the viral video
A video of a girl dancing on a metro train is becoming very viral. Seeing the girl dancing, the feet of other passengers also started trembling, but people are giving many types of reactions to this
World Cup hero Starc tops Cricket bowlers Rankings
Melbourne, March 31 (IANS) Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has surged to the top of the One-Day International (ODI) bowlers' rankings for the first time in his career following a stellar
The Taliban excavated Mullah Omar's car: 21 years ago he was buried for fear of the US Army, now it will be kept in the National Museum
The car of Taliban founder Mullah Omar has been dug out of the ground by his fighters after 21 years. This is the same car in which Mullah Omar ran to escape the US after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. He
Elon Musk's heart came on singer Taylor Swift, this special tweet in support of singer, enthusiasm in fans
Elon Musk On Taylor Swift: Elon Musk is kind to Taylor Swift. Due to this, he is continuously posting about her on social media one after the other. The attention of many fans has also gone towards
It will not be easy for Arvind Kejriwal to run the 'government' in jail... How will AAP deal with the political crisis?
Naturally, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in a money laundering case related to the excise scam and his subsequent imprisonment will affect the functioning of the Delhi government.
Windies Bravo ruled out of World Cup
Sydney, Feb 28 (IANS) West Indies top order batsman Darren Bravo has been ruled out of the cricket World Cup after failing to recover in time from a hamstring injury.The left-hander limped out of
The government's big decision, these items of single-use plastic will be completely banned
The central government has taken a big decision to protect the environment. The Modi government has decided to completely ban single-use plastic from July 1. On Tuesday, the central government
Will do everything to make Obama cherish visit: Government
New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) With less than a week left for US President Barack Obama's visit to India to attend the Republic Day parade, the government Sunday said it will do everything to ensure his
