Elections to seven civic bodies in Sikkim are likely to be held either in January-end or the first week of February, four months after they were due but had to be postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An indication to this effect was given by Arun Upreti, Sikkim’s urban and housing development minister, on Sunday.
“We want to hold the elections at the earliest. We have started preparation for conducting the elections. I am hopeful the elections will definitely be held either by the end of January or the first week of February,” he said.
The seven civic bodies are Gangtok Municipal Corporation (17 wards), Namchi Municipal Council (7), Jorethang Municipal Council (7), Gyalshing Municipal Council (7), Singtam nagar panchayat (5), Rangpo nagar panchayat (5) and Mangan nagar panchayat (5).
Unlike in the last civic polls that were held in October 2015, the next elections would be held on a non-partisan basis this time after the P.S. Tamang (Golay)-headed Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) government amended the Sikkim Municipality Act 2007 in September requiring candidates to contest the polls in their individual capacity and not under the banner of any political party.
In the last elections, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) had made a clean sweep, winning all 53 wards in the seven civic bodies. The SKM, which was then in the opposition, had drawn a blank.
Sources in the state election commission said the revised electoral rolls for the civic bodies were being prepared and would be notified soon.