General elections were held in Sikkim in 1958.[1] The Sikkim State Congress emerged as the largest party, winning seven of the 20 seats.[1] Voter turnout was around 35%.[1]
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14 of the 20 seats in the State Council | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Electoral system
editThe State Council was established in 1953 by the Chogyal.[2] It originally had 18 members, of which 12 were elected and six (including the President) appointed by the Chogyal.[2] Of the 12 elected members, six were for the Nepali community and six for the Lepcha and the Bhutia communities.[2] For the 1958 elections the number of seats was increased to 20. One seat for the Sangha was added, together with an unreserved seat.[2][3]
Candidates for election to the Council had to be at least 30 years old, whilst the voting age was set at 21.[1] Around 55,000 voters registered for the election.[1]
Results
edit| Party | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutia-Lepcha | Nepali | Others | Total | +/– | ||
| Sikkim State Congress | 1 | 6 | 0 | 7 | +1 | |
| Sikkim National Party | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | |
| Appointed members | – | – | – | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 6 | 2 | 20 | +2 | |
| Source: Hamlet Bareh | ||||||
Constituency-wise
edit| # | Constituency | Reservation | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gangtok | Bhutia-Lepcha | Sonam Tshering Lepcha | ||
| 2 | Kesang Wangdi | ||||
| 3 | Sikkimese Nepali | Narendra Nar Singh | Sikkim State Congress | ||
| 4 | North-Central | Bhutia-Lepcha | Martam Topden | ||
| 5 | Thendup Bhutia | ||||
| 6 | Sikkimese Nepali | Nahakul Pradhan | Sikkim State Congress | ||
| 7 | Namchi | Bhutia-Lepcha | Kazi Norbu Wangdi | ||
| 8 | Sikkimese Nepali | Sangkhaman Rai | Sikkim State Congress | ||
| 9 | Kashi Raj Pradhan | ||||
| 10 | Pemayangtse | Bhutia-Lepcha | Gaden Tashi | ||
| 11 | Sikkimese Nepali | Sher Bahadur Gurung | Sikkim State Congress | ||
| 12 | Bhujit Mukhia | ||||
| 13 | General | General | Chaksung Bhutia | ||
| 14 | Sangha | Lharipa Rinzing Lama | Sikkim National Party | ||
| Source: Sikkim Darbar Gazette[4][5] | |||||
Appointed members
editIn addition to the elected members, six others were appointed to the Sikkim State Council by the Chogyal, on 15 March; Rai Bahadur Densapa, Rev. Chotuk Tsering Pazo, Indra Prasad Subba, Bhairap Bahadur Lamchaney, Atal Singh Dewan and Hon Lt Prem Bahadur Basnet.[6]
Executive Council
editThe Executive Council was chosen from among the elected members, in addition to the Dewan of Sikkim, who was its President:
| Name | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| N. K. Rustomji | President |
| K. R. Pradhan | Senior Executive Councillor |
| Martam Topden | Executive Councillor |
| Nahakul Pradhan | Deputy Executive Councillor |
| Norbu Wangdi | Deputy Executive Councillor |
| Chuksung Bhutia | Deputy Executive Councillor |
| Source: Proceedings of the Executive Council[7] | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Hamlet Bareh (2001) Encyclopaedia of North-East India: Sikkim Mittal Publications, p17
- ^ a b c d Bareh, p16
- ^ Tashi Namgyal (16 March 1958). "Proclamation of His Highness Sir Tashi Namgyal, KCSI, KCIE, Maharaja of Sikkim, Dated the 16th March, 1958" (PDF). p. 102. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
- ^ "Results of elections - 1958". Sikkim Darbar Gazette. 8 (7). December 1958.
- ^ Pem Choden Tenzing (July 2019). Monarchy to Democracy Understanding Political Development in Sikkim, 1970-1994 (Thesis). p. 149. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ Tashi Namgyal (22 February 1959). "Nominations to State Council". p. 54. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ N. K. Rustomji (7 April 1959). "Proceedings of the Executive Council - 7th April, 1959". p. 94. Retrieved 22 June 2021.