SIKKIM LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY SEAT UNDERWAY FOR EXPANSION

The Sikkim Legislative Assembly will expand very soon as the Union Home Ministry has initiated the process.The news was confirmed by the Lone MP from Sikkim to the Lok Sabha P. D. Rai today while talking to the media.

At present Sikkim Assembly has 32 seats and after the expansion it will be 40 as per the ahead of State polls due early next year. This would be the first expansion of seats since Sikkim was merged with India in 1975.

As per the population the Sikkim government is pressing for expansion of the Assembly to 40 seats with reservation 12 to Bhutia Lepcha community, 2 for Schedule caste and 1 for Religious seat ( Sangha Seat) and 5 for Limboo Tamang communities. It would also mean that there are 20 seats in reserved category while 20 seats are in the open category for general communities .

The proposal to expand the House, before last year following a Supreme Court directive in 2016, is likely to benefit the Limboo and Tamang communities, notified as Scheduled Tribes in 2002 and is likely to have a massive bearing on the Assembly elections.

The two communities will get five seats in the House after the expansion as per the proposals sent by the SDF government to Home Ministry.