Sikkim Election Results 2024: Who is Prem Singh Tamang? Will he win second term as CM?

Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang’s Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has crossed the halfway mark in early trends as results continue to come on June 2. The counting of votes for the 32 Assembly seats in

Sikkim is currently underway, following the election held in a single phase on April 19.  

The victory will see Prem Singh Tamang return as Chief Minister for a second term. The 56-year-old has been serving as the sixth and current CM of Sikkim since 2019 and the founder and leader of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha since 2019. 

Prem Singh Tamang, popularly known as PS Golay, founded the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) on February 4, 2013, after becoming a critic of SDF leader Pawan Kumar Chamling. 

Tamang hails from West Sikkim and has been active in Sikkim's political scene since the early 1990s. After joining the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) in 1993, he won the 1994 Sikkim Assembly elections from the Chakung constituency and served as the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Ecclesiastical, and Industry Department until 1999.  

In the 2019 Sikkim Assembly elections, Tamang led SKM to victory with a win in 17 seats and toppled Chamling’s 25-year rule. Tamang was sworn in as Chief Minister on May 27, 2019, at a ceremony in Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. 

As per the India Today-Axis My India exit poll results for the 2024 Sikkim Assembly elections, the ruling SKM is expected to retain power, securing 24-30 seats in the 32-member assembly. The BJP is projected to win 0-2 seats, while other parties are likely to secure 1-6 seats. This represents a significant increase in SKM’s seat share compared to the 2019 elections.  

Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang, his wife Krishna Kumari Rai, former chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and the former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia are the prominent candidates amongst the 146 contestants in the fray for elections in 2024.  

Polling for Sikkim’s 32 Assembly seats took place on April 19, coinciding with the first phase of the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.  

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the SKM won 17 seats, while the SDF secured 15.