Saffron Stealer | Sikkim

Sikkim's political waters are set for churn. The ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), which so far wore the BJP 'friendship' band on its sleeve, with its lone MP supporting the NDA government at the Centre, is likely to face challenges from the party at the state level (it won 17 of the state's 32 seats in the assembly election in May).

The BJP drew a blank then, but has now become the main opposition party following the defection of 10 MLAs of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav has asked the state unit to play the 'constructive' opposition role.

The SDF, which won 15 ass­embly seats, is now left with a lone MLA (former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling) after two more legislators defected to the ruling SKM. Now three seats are headed for bypolls as three MLAs (2 of the defectors from the SDF and 1 SKM) had contested and won two seats each. The ruling SKM app­ears to have an edge in the bypolls: in the Martam Rumtek seat, the SKM candidate had lost by just 72 votes in May. In the other two, SDF local functionaries have joined the SKM after the elected MLAs crossed over to the BJP. The BJP's machinations could also provoke a backlash.

The BJP claims it is not interested in poaching more legislators from the SKM. "We want to play the role of a responsible opposition," says state BJP president Debe Chauhan. With the saffron wind blowing strong in the Northeast, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang is also hoping to maintain the friendship with the BJP, irres­p­ec­tive of the changing political equations. Tamang has met Union home minister Amit Shah and Madhav in Delhi and reportedly got assurances that there is no threat to his government.

Jacob Khaling, political advisor to Tamang, says opposition at the local level will not affect the SKM's cordial relations with the Centre. "Our MP, Indra H. Subba, is supp­orting the NDA at the Centre. Our MLAs are committed members," he says. "We gave ministerial berths to members who have been with the party for the past 10 years." That said, equations with the BJP can change fast-Chamling and the SDF were also NDA allies when he was in power.

While Khaling vouches for the loyalty of SKM MLAs, he is critical of D.T. Lepcha, who defected with nine MLAs from the SDF to the BJP. "Lepcha crossed over to the SDF in 1999 after his Sikkim Sangram Parishad party lost and could not form the government. I will not be surprised if he will do more somersaults to upset the BJP's plans," he cautions.