Convicted of Corruption, Sikkim CM Seeks Waiver Disqualification

An EC official said that the matter is presently under consideration.

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang

(Photo Courtesy: P.S Golay/Altered by The Quint)

Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, better known as PS Golay, has requested the Election Commission (EC) to waive off his disqualification from contesting polls, sources said on Monday, 29 July.

Tamang, whose Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party won in the recently held Assembly elections, took over as chief minister on 27 May but cannot contest elections as he was convicted in a corruption case and stands disqualified.

He has to contest Assembly polls within six months of becoming the chief minister to hold office.

In a letter, Tamang has requested the poll panel to use Section 11 of the Representation of the People Act to waive off his disqualification, the sources said.

He was convicted in a corruption case in the 1990s and was in jail for one year beginning in 2017 and was released in August 2018.

Under the provisions, the EC can reduce or remove a person's disqualification.

The section states, “The Election Commission may, for reasons to be recorded, remove any disqualification under this Chapter 1 (except under section 8A) or reduce the period of any such disqualification.”

As per the Representation of the People Act, Tamang cannot contest elections for seven years, this includes one year of jail term and six more years after it.

An EC official said that the matter is under consideration and no decision has been taken as yet.