SDF sweeps Sikkim polls

Pawan Chamling of the Sikkim Democratic Front is set to be re-elected as the chief minister.

The ruling SDF has again secured a comfortable majority, according to the latest trends avilable. SDF has bagged 22, while Sikkim Krantikari Morcha(SKM) has won the rest, 10. Sitting chief minister Pawan Chamling won the Namchi-Singhithang Assembly seat, defeating Milan Rai of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) by 1,084 votes.

National parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were not able to win any seats. Earlier, as far as the vote share was concerned, SDF was way ahead, securing over 57 per cent votes, while SKM has polled about 38 per cent.

At the time of going to the press, SDF was leading in the lone Lok Sabha seat as well.

In 2009 Chamling-led SDF won all the 32 seats in the assembly, leaving the opposition seats empty.

  Incidentally, with this victory Chamling, who is serving the state as chief minister since 1994, is set to become the longest running head of government of any Indian state.

He is poised to break the record of former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, who was in office for 24 years.