BJP candidate Dorjee Tshering Lepcha received the lone Rajya Sabha seat on Friday in Sikkim uncontested as no different candidate crammed the nomination papers, officers mentioned. Lepcha, who was the one particular person to file nomination for the election, was declared elected after his papers had been scrutinised and located to be so as, they mentioned.
Lepcha acquired the certificates of his election to the Upper House of Parliament from Returning Officer Lalit Kumar Gurung, who’s the secretary of the state meeting. Assistant Returning Officer Karma T Gyatso Bhutia and Observer Pema Lhaden Lama had been additionally current when the certificates was handed to him. As the Rajya Sabha MP from Sikkim, Lepcha will succeed SDF’s Hishey Lachungpa whose second time period will finish on February 23.
The candidature of Lepcha, who was an MLA from the Gnathang Machong seat in Pakyong district, was backed by the ruling SKM. He was a minister within the earlier SDF authorities, and held portfolios reminiscent of Buildings & Housing, and Transport. In the 32-member Sikkim meeting, SKM has 19 members, BJP has 12 and the SDF has one member.
BJP didn’t win any seat within the final meeting elections, during which the SKM got here to energy. Lepcha together with 9 MLAs of the SDF converted to the BJP, making it the second largest celebration within the meeting in a single day. Later, the BJP additionally received by-elections to 2 seats, taking its tally to 12.
Lepcha’s Rajya Sabha nomination is being thought of as his reward for serving to the BJP grow to be a serious participant within the Himalayan state. He would be the second MP from a nationwide celebration to characterize Sikkim in Rajya Sabha. Congress chief Karma Topden had represented the state within the House from 1988 to 1994.
(With inputs from PTI)
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