The BJP has decided to go solo in the Sikkim Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, breaking its alliance with the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) led by chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay) two months after BJP leader D.T. Lepcha was elected to the Rajya Sabha with help from the SKM.

D.R. Thapa, the president of the BJP Sikkim state unit, said that the party had decided not to join hands with the “corrupt” SKM during the polls.

“We have decided to go alone in the upcoming Sikkim elections,” said Thapa. “The BJP is against corruption. This government (SKM) has indulged in corruption in various sectors.”

The development has surprised many. As recently as in January, the BJP candidate for Rajya Sabha from Sikkim Lepcha had won the seat unopposed with full SKM support.

In the 2019 Sikkim Assembly election, the BJP contested 12 of the 32 seats and all its candidates lost.

However, eventually, the BJP had 12 MLAs. Ten Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) MLAs joined the BJP and the BJP won two more seats in bypolls with support from the SKM.

Thus, in the 32-member Sikkim Assembly, the ruling SKM had 19 seats, the BJP 12 and the SDF was represented only by Pawan Kumar Chamling, the former chief minister of Sikkim.

The BJP also fielded a candidate for the lone Sikkim Lok Sabha seat in 2019. However, the SKM’s Indra Hang Subba won the seat.

Jacob Khaling, SKM spokesman, however, made light of the development. “It was a similar scenario in 2019, too.... The decision is in the best interest of the SKM, the Sikkimese people and also the BJP,” said Khaling.

BJP Sikkim president Thapa said the party was not too keen on a post-election alliance.

Many observers, too, believe that the BJP’s decision to dump the SKM might have helped the ruling party. “Leaving seats to the BJP might have put the SKM in a spot as there is no dearth of candidates in the party in power,” said an observer.

“The BJP, too, might want to test waters by going alone and is probably keeping its option open. D.R. Thapa, the Sikkim BJP chief, has always been critical of the SKM,” the observer added.

The Sikkim election is expected to be a contest between SKM and Chamling’s SDF.

Thapa also claimed that senior BJPs would visit Sikkim to campaign for party workers.

“Senior leaders including Amit Shah, J.P. Nadda (BJP national president) and Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam chief minister) will visit Sikkim to campaign for our candidates,” said Thapa. adding that their candidates’ names would be released by Sunday.