Gangtok: In a surprising turn of events, Krishna Kumari Rai, the newly elected legislator from Namchi Singhithang, tendered her resignation just a day after taking the oath of office.
Rai, who is the wife of Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay, contested an election for the first time.
Rai secured a significant victory with a margin of 5,302 votes, amassing a total of 7,907 votes. Her winning margin stood at an impressive 71.60 percent, making it the second highest in the election, only behind CM Golay who secured 72.18 percent of votes in the Soreng Chakung constituency.
The reasons behind Rai’s abrupt resignation remain undisclosed. However, a document exhibiting her resignation has gone viral, sparking widespread speculation. Rai submitted her resignation to the newly elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, MN Sherpa, on Thursday.
As a result, the Namchi Singhithang constituency now stands vacant, raising questions about the next steps in filling the legislative seat.
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party spokesperson Bikash Basnet speaking with East Mojo, said, “Rai resigned under the consent of her husband Chief Minister Prem Singh Golay as well as the SKM party. It was mutual consent. It was her personal choice, she is also a social worker who has worked for the people of Namchi for years”.
Highlighting Krishna Rai’s “responsibility as the spouse of Chief Minister”, Basnet shared, “The additional responsibility of being an MLA with Namchi Singhithang being (politically) sensitive. Now, she wishes to discharge herself from the duty of MLA”.
SKM spokesperson also shared how Krishna Rai was granted an SKM ticket in Namchi-Singithang, “knowing it is a politically sensitive area”, shared Basnet. Former Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was the MLA of Namchi-Singithang from 2019-24.
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SKM will be floating another candidate for Namchi Singhithang through their party’s parliamentary committee, with SKM spokesperson denying all projected candidates so far.
The Chief Minister, himself will also be resigning as MLA from one of two constituencies Soreng-Chakung or Rhenock, under the parliamentary guidelines, taking their seat count to 29 MLAs in the next 15 days.
However, SKM sounded confident of “retaking both the seats”.
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