The ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) received a perceived boost with a host of senior Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) leaders joining the SKM at Jorethang on Wednesday.

The occasion was the fifth observation of SKM’s Jan Unmukti Diwas. It was on this day in 2018 that party president and Sikkim chief minister P.S. Tamang (Golay) was released from jail after serving a year’s term for corruption.

Those who joined the SKM included former speaker Kalawati Subba, former ministers Ran Bahadur Subba, Bhim Dhungel, A.K. Ghatani, former MLAs Deepak Kumar Gurung, Sonam Gyatso Bhutia, A.M. Prasad Sharma, Puran Gurung and Madan Cintury.

Former minister Subba accused SDF president and former chief minister Pawan Chamling of failing Sikkim after his party lost the 2019 election. “Sikkim is progressing due to the farsighted vision of the youth leader P.S. Golay. We assure full support to the SKM party...,” he said.

Golay said the youths would lead his party once he was done and dusted. “After my term is done, I will be a pillar of the party... I will not cry when I leave Mintokgang (the official residence of chief minister), I will leave happily”, said Golay.

Many observers were not willing to take Golay’s statement at face value, given the many unfulfilled promises his party had made such as converting Mintokgang into a cancer hospital and ensuring the resignation of Golay’s son Aditya as MLA once he got elected to the Assembly.

The SKM won the 2019 poll by a tender margin (17 to 15 in the 32-member Assembly), but Golay was barred from contesting because of the corruption conviction. He was, however, appointed chief minister and became an MLA in a bypoll within six months as demanded by law.