Friday, Mar 27, 2026 23:15 [IST]
Last Update: Thursday, Mar 26, 2026 17:37 [IST]
GANGTOK,: Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay on Thursday said that
community-wise seat reservation for the Sikkim Municipal Elections 2026 has
been determined on the basis of population, as per the State government’s
census conducted in 2022.
Elections
to the Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC), Namchi Municipal Council (NMC), and
Nagar Panchayats of Rangpo, Singtam, Pakyong, Nayabazar-Jorethang, Soreng,
Gyalshing and Mangan were announced earlier this week by the State Election
Commission.
There
are 63 wards across these civic bodies, with reservations for women and various
communities, and a total electorate of 93,800 voters.
Addressing
the one-day Assembly session, the Chief Minister said the State government had
conducted its own census in 2022, the report of which was approved by the State
Cabinet. Based on this, seat reservations for the 2026 municipal elections were
finalised.
He
informed that the number of unreserved seats has increased from 12 in the 2021
municipal elections to 13 in 2026. Reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC)
has also risen, with State OBC seats increasing from nine to 11, and Central
OBC seats from six to eight.
Reservation
for Scheduled Castes (SC) remains unchanged at six seats. However, the number
of Scheduled Tribe (ST) seats has gone up from 18 in 2021 to 25 in the 2026
municipal elections.
The
Chief Minister said the increase in seats for various communities, particularly
STs, reflects their population in the nine urban local bodies as per the 2022
survey. He stated that the ST population in urban areas stands at 48,661,
accounting for 28 per cent - the highest among all groups - hence 25 wards have
been reserved for them.
Similarly,
the OBC (State) population stands at 20 per cent, OBC (Central) at 17 per cent,
and SCs at 6.88 per cent. Other communities together account for 27.45 per cent
of the urban population.
The
Chief Minister dismissed allegations of imbalance in reservation, stating that
“baseless propaganda” was being spread. He maintained that reservations have
been made strictly on the basis of population and no injustice has been done to
any community.
Meanwhile,
candidates of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) on Thursday filed their
nominations in all 63 wards before the respective Returning Officers in
Gangtok, Namchi, Pakyong, Soreng, Gyalshing and Mangan districts.
The
last date for filing nominations is March 30, followed by scrutiny of papers on
April 1. The date of poll is April 24 followed by counting and declaration of
results on April 25.
Gangtok
Municipal Corporation (GMC), the largest civic body in the State, has 21 wards
with 69 polling stations and an electorate of 58,806 voters.
