New Delhi, May 17 :Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling is set to surpass the late Communist patriarch Jyoti Basu when he becomes the longest serving chief minister in India.
Chamling took reins of the state on December 12, 1994 and has completed 20 years as chief minister of Himalayan state. He will surpass Jyothi Basu when he completes 23 years in the office. Basu is considered longest serving chief minister, holding the post in west Bengal for more than 23 years from June 21,1977 to Nov 5, 2000.
Chamling was born on September 22, 1950 at Yangang South Sikkim. He joined politics in 1973 and In 1982 he was elected as President of Yangyang Gram Panchayat at the age of 32 years and three years later he was elected to Sikkim legislative assembly for the first time in 1985. Chamling is also an avid writer and poet, who writes under the pen name Pawan Chamling Kiran.
Chamling led his party, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) to victory for a record fifth term in the Assembly elections for which results were declared on Friday. They won a 2/3rds Majority. Sikkim, the erstwhile Chogyal Kingdome is India’s 22nd State. His promise – peace, development and sustainability. Chamling has led his party to massive victory in the assembly elections held in the year 1999, 2004 , 2009 and 2014. Unlike the UPA, 20 years in power has only brought pro incumbency rather than anti incumbency. The party got a majority 55% vote share in multi-corned contest in the state.
Chamling contested and won from both Rangang-yangang and Namchi-Singhithang assembly constituencies with a huge margin . The SDF also won the lone Lok Sabha seat when its candidate P.D. Rai defeated main rival Tek Nath Dhakal with approximately 42000 votes.
Sikkim is a land locked state surrounded by China, Nepal and Bhutan on three sides, yet is the most peaceful place in India. It is also highly earthquake prone and the Government has initiated a Rs. 391 crore project for constructing nearly 8,000 resilient houses capable of withstanding earthquakes and minimise loss of lives and property. It is a model state for eco tourism and has recieved rave reviews in Lonely Planet.