1953 Sikkimese general election

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1953 Sikkimese general election
Royal flag of Sikkim.svg
23 May 1953 [1] 1958  

12 of the 18 seats in the State Council
 Majority partyMinority party
 
Party SNP SSC
Seats won66

General elections were held in Sikkim in May 1953. [2] The Sikkim National Party and the Sikkim State Congress both won six seats. [2] Voter turnout was less than 30%. [2]

Contents

Electoral system

The State Council was established in 1953 by the Chogyal. [3] It had 18 members, of which 12 were elected and six (including the President) appointed by the Chogyal. [3] Of the 12 elected members, six were for the Nepali community and six for the Lepcha and the Bhutia communities. [3]

Candidates for election to the Council had to be at least 30 years old, whilst the voting age was set at 21. [2] Around 50,000 voters registered for the election. [2]

Results

PartySeats
Bhutia-LepchaNepaliTotal
Sikkim National Party 606
Sikkim State Congress 066
Appointed members6
Total6618
Source: Hamlet Bareh

Constituency-wise

#ConstituencyReservationNameParty
1North-Central Bhutia-Lepcha Sonam Tshering Lepcha Sikkim National Party
2Martam Topden
3 Sikkimese Nepali Khus Narain Pradhan Sikkim State Congress
4Gangtok Bhutia-Lepcha Chodup Lepcha Sikkim National Party
5Netuk Bhutia
6 Sikkimese Nepali Adhiklal Pradhan Sikkim State Congress
7Namchi Bhutia-Lepcha Kunzang Rapgay Sikkim National Party
8 Sikkimese Nepali Kashi Raj Pradhan Sikkim State Congress
9Jai Narayan Subba
10Pemayangtse Bhutia-Lepcha Sonam Wangchuk Sikkim National Party
11 Sikkimese Nepali Dhan Bahadur Gurung Sikkim State Congress
12 Nahakul Pradhan
Source: Sikkim Darbar Gazette [4] [5]

Appointed members

In addition to the elected members, five members were appointed to the Sikkim State Council by the Chogyal; John S. Lal (President of the Council and Dewan of Sikkim), Rai Bahadur Densapa, Tekbir Khati, Palda Lama and Hon Lt Prem Bahadur Basnet. [4] [5]

Executive Council

Following the elections, an Executive Council was appointed, which consisted of the President of the Council, John S. Lal and two of the elected members, Sonam Tsering and Kashiraj Pradhan.

NameResponsibilities
John S. LalPresident of the Executive Council
Kashiraj PradhanPublic Works, Excise, Education, and Transport
Sonam TseringBazars, Forests, Health, and Press & publicity
Source: Proclamations from the Chogyal and the Dewan [6]

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References

  1. "Election to Sikkim State Council". The Indian Express . 2 June 1953. Retrieved 9 February 2022. ...the election which concluded on 23 May after 55 days of polling.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Hamlet Bareh (2001) Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim Mittal Publications, p17
  3. 1 2 3 Bareh, p16
  4. 1 2 "Results of elections - 1953". Sikkim Darbar Gazette. 2 (12). 12 May 1953.
  5. 1 2 Pem Choden Tenzing (July 2019). Monarchy to Democracy Understanding Political Development in Sikkim, 1970-1994 (Thesis). p. 147. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  6. Tashi Namgyal (4 August 1953). "State Council and Executive Council Proclamation - Memo No. 525". pp. 25, 28. Retrieved 22 June 2021.