Pawan Chamling set to become longest serving chief minister

With fifth consecutive win in assembly elections, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling is set to become the longest serving chief minister in India, breaking Jyoti Basu’s record of 23 years.

Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) won two-thirds majority in the assembly elections, the results for which were announced onFriday. The SDF won 22 of the 32 seats.

Sixtyfour-year-old Chamling has already completed more than 20 years as the Sikkim chief minister. With the new mandate, he can rule the state for five more years. That will make him the longest serving chief minister in Independent India.

Communist leader Jyoti Basu has the record for being the longest serving chief minister. Basu was the chief minister of West Bengal for more than 23 years from June 21, 1977, to Nov 5, 2000.

Chamling is has been the chief minister of Sikkim since Dec 12, 1994.

Surrounded by China, Nepal and Bhutan on three sides, Sikkim is a land-locked state and has the highest per capita income in the country.

Interestingly, the lone Lok Sabha seat of Sikkim also went to the Chamling-led party.

Sikkim Democratic Front candidate P.D. Rai won the Lok Sabha election with a margin of nearly 42,000 votes, defeating his main rival Tek Nath Dhakal of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha.