Sikkim records 79.90% polling, likely to increase by another 4%

BIJOY GURUNG

GANGTOK,: The total voter turnout of Sikkim stands at 79.90% and this number is likely to go up by another 4% approximately by including the postal ballots, informed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Sikkim on Saturday.

Sikkim had gone for simultaneous polls for the 32 Assembly constituencies and the lone Lok Sabha seat on Friday. The polling figure till 5 pm was 67.95% with voting continuing till late evening in several polling stations.

There are 4.66 lakh voters in Sikkim with 146 candidates contesting in the 32 Assembly constituencies and 14 contestants in fray for the lone Lok Sabha seat. People had come out since early Friday morning to cast their votes at the 573 polling stations across the State.

“Though the voting process was slightly slow in the initial phase in some of the polling stations, later it gathered speed and the voting went on even after 5 pm in some of the polling stations. It was ensured that every eligible voter who had come to the polling station by 5 pm was allowed to vote following the due procedure,” said the CEO Sikkim in a press statement.

“The total voter turnout of Sikkim stands at 79.90%. This number is likely to go up by another 4% approximately by including the postal ballots,” said the CEO Sikkim.

Counting of votes polled for the Assembly elections is scheduled on June 2, followed by the counting for Lok Sabha elections on June 4.

Chief Minister and SKM president PS Golay, on his social media page, has thanked the people for their active participation in the Sikkim Elections 2024. He thanked the ECI, Election Commission of Sikkim, the State administration and all those involved in ensuring “the most peaceful election in Sikkim’s history”.

“My sincere thanks to every individual, including the candidates, party leaders, voters, coordinators, and all associated individuals for their invaluable support. I also express my heartiest gratitude to the new voters who participated for the first time with enthusiasm. My deepest thanks to the people of Sikkim for their peaceful and cordial participation, showcasing the essence of democracy,” posted Golay.

Golay also thanked the SKM functionaries, frontal organisations and party workers for their tireless efforts, commitment and sincerity for the tremendous success of the election process.

Similarly, former Chief Minister and SDF president Pawan Chamling congratulated the people of Sikkim for their successful participation in the election.

“After having lived under a suffocating regime for five years, it was our long-cherished opportunity to express our electoral decision individually and collectively. I am confident that the people of Sikkim have exercised their inviolable franchise in favour of the restoration of peace, prosperity and security in Sikkim,” said Chamling in his message to the people.

“It was heartening to see people coming in huge numbers and patiently standing in line for hours to cast their votes. Even more reassuring was their grit to stay till late in the night ensuring that their right to vote to usher the government of their choice in was exercised. With such public determination, the future of Sikkim is looking good,” added Chamling.

The SDF president thanked the voters for their faith in the SDF, the media, the government servants engaged in election duty, security forces, the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer, Sikkim.

Meanwhile, the CEO Sikkim informed that after the close of poll, the polling teams brought the polled EVMs with proper security to the respective district collection centres and handed it over to the respective Returning Officers. The polled EVMs and election papers were later kept in the strong rooms and sealed in presence of the Election observers and representatives of the candidates.

“The strong rooms where the EVMs are kept are guarded by the Central Armed Police Force. In addition, 24x7 CCTV coverage has been arranged for continuous monitoring of the strong room locations. Further, the representatives of the candidates have been allowed to stay outside the perimeter of the strong room area to keep a close watch on the security arrangements of the strong rooms. They can also monitor the CCTV footage from these locations. All the strong rooms are under the complete custody of the Central Armed Police Force,” said the CEO Sikkim.

It was informed that the scrutiny of the election papers were carried out on Saturday by the Returning Officers and the General Observers deputed by the ECI in presence of the representatives of the candidates. At the end of the scrutiny, the Returning Officers and Observers were satisfied with the poll process in all the polling stations and no re-poll was recommended for any of the polling stations in Sikkim.

The CEO Sikkim has thanked the voters, especially the first time voters, who came out in large numbers to cast their votes on the poll day.  The CEO Sikkim also thanked the polling parties, candidates, government officials engaged in poll duty, security forces and the media for the smooth conduct of the voting process.