CAP names party president Bharat Basnett as its candidate for Sikkim LS seat, announces other names for 3 assembly seats

Sikkim’s regional political party, Citizen Action Party-Sikkim (CAP) has named party president Bharat Basnett as its candidate for the lone Sikkim Lok Sabha seat and announced three other names in its second list of candidates for upcoming assembly elections.

The party has fielded Tika Ram Sharma from the Rhenock assembly constituency, social activist turned politician, Phuri Sherpa from the Gnathang-Machong assembly constituency and environmental activist turned politician Songmit Lepcha from Lachen Mangan seat.

Bharat Basnett is pitted against Gopal Chettri, president of the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) and independent candidate Beena Rai in the battle for the lone LS seat. Basnett will contest for the Lok Sabha seat for the second term.

Hailing from Ranipol, Gangtok, Basnet joined politics in 1985-86.

He served as president of Sikkim Congress from 2017 to 2021.

In the 2009 assembly election, he contested from the Arithang constituency on Congress ticket, however, he lost.

He had also contested in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 but was unsuccessful, and he resigned from Congress later in 2020.

On January 2, 2024, he joined CAP and currently, he is the president of the party.

He was also the former president of Sikkimey Nagarik Samaj (SNS), a non-political pressure group.

Voting for the 32-member Sikkim Assembly and the lone Sikkim Lok Sabha seat will be held on April 19 and counting will take place on June 2.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier notified dates for the upcoming election with the last date of filing nominations being March 27.
Scrutiny of nominations is to be carried out by ECI on March 28 and March 30 is the date for withdrawal of candidature.

Also Read: Sikkim Assembly polls 2024: CAP announces first list of 14 candidates, 2nd list on Mar 24