Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) leader Prem Singh Tamang took the oath as Chief Minister of Sikkim for a second consecutive term. Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Tamang and his Council of Ministers during the swearing-in ceremony at Paljor Stadium.

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) secured a decisive victory in the Sikkim assembly elections, winning 31 out of 32 seats. The opposition, Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), managed to secure only one seat.

Prem Singh Tamang, the SKM leader, described the party's win as a "record" and highlighted the peaceful nature of the election. He expressed gratitude to the voters for their support, which facilitated the party's return to power.

"In five years, we will fulfil all the announcements we made during the elections. I would like to thank all my workers for their hard work. I also extend my gratitude to the public. This has been the most peaceful election in Sikkim's history, a record," said Prem Singh Tamang.

Tamang secured his victory from the Rhenock Assembly seat, defeating SDF's Som Nath Poudyal by over 7,396 votes. The polling for Sikkim's 32 assembly seats took place on April 19, coinciding with the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

This marks the third instance of a landslide victory in Sikkim's political history, similar to the outcomes seen with Sikkim Sangram Parishad in 1989 and SDF in 2009. In the 2019 assembly elections, SKM won 17 seats while SDF secured 15. Previously, SKM had won 10 seats in the 2014 elections.

Interestingly, ahead of the 2019 assembly elections, SKM had joined the BJP-led NDA but later severed ties and contested the elections independently.

On Sunday, Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister of India for his third consecutive term at a grand ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The event saw the attendance of leaders from India's neighbouring countries and the Indian Ocean region.

President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Narendra Modi, followed by the swearing-in of other members of his ministerial team.

Notably, Modi is the second Indian leader to secure a third term, following in the footsteps of the founding Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

Image source: Hindustan Times