Sikkim: Ten SDF Legislators Join BJP Making It The Main Opposition Party In The State

As many as 10 legislators of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (13 August) in the presence of party’s general secretary Ram Madhav, reports Hindustan Times.

The induction of SDF MLAs into the party fold has made BJP the main opposition in the state where it failed to get a single seat in the assembly elections held in April this year.

The SDF, which was ousted from power in the assembly elections after ruling Sikkim for 25 years, won 15 seats in the polls. However, two of its leaders got elected from two seats, due to which the party has effective strength of 13 legislators in the state legislature.

“The effective strength of the SDF legislature party is 13 and 10 of them joined the BJP today,” said BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, who is in-charge of party’s affairs in the northeast.

“With this the BJP will become the main opposition party in Sikkim, and we will play the role of a constructive opposition,” he added.

The SDF MLAs who joined BJP include Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, Ugyen Tshering Gyatso, Narendra Kumar Subba, Dilli Ram Thapa, Karma Sonam Lepcha, Krishna Bahadur Rai, Tashi Thendup Bhutia, Farwanti Tamang, Pintso Namgyal Lepcha and Raj Kumari Thapa.

The House has a total member strength of 32.