Golay takes oath as Sikkim’s CM for second term

BIJOY GURUNG

GANGTOK, : Prem Singh Tamang-Golay on Monday was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim for a second straight term while taking charge of the State government for another five years.

Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Golay before the gathering of thousands of people at Paljor Stadium here.

Golay had first taken oath as the Chief Minister of Sikkim on May 27, 2019 after leading the SKM to a simple majority in the 2019 Assembly elections. Five years later, he led the SKM to a resounding victory in the 2024 Assembly elections by winning 31 seats out of 32 seats.

On this day, Golay assumed office as the Chief Minister for another five years along with the new Council of Ministers of 2nd SKM Government.

“I am deeply grateful for the continued support and faith of our citizens, and I am committed to working tirelessly to fulfill their aspirations. This new term presents an opportunity to build on our past achievements and address the challenges ahead with renewed vigor and determination,” said the Chief Minister in his message.

At the Paljor Stadium ceremony, the Governor also administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 11 members of the Council of Ministers. They are Sonam Lama, Arun Upreti, Samdup Lepcha, Bhim Hang Limboo, Bhoj Raj Rai, GT Dhungel, Puran Gurung, Pintso Namgyal Lepcha, Nar Bahadur Dahal, Raju Basnet, and Tshering Thendup Bhutia.

Among them, Sonam Lama, Arun Upreti, Samdup Lepcha and Bhim Hang Limboo were retained from the previous State Cabinet.

The remaining seven members are the new faces that were inducted in the State Cabinet of the 2^nd SKM Government. Among them, NB Dahal, Raju Basnet and Tshering Thendup Bhutia are first-time MLAs.

Interestingly, the State Cabinet will have three retired bureaucrats – GT Dhungel (former principal chief engineer), Raju Basnet (former Sports secretary) and Tshering Thendup Bhutia (former SDM).

Five ministers from the previous term were not included into the Council of Ministers this time - LN Sharma, LB Das, MN Sherpa, Sanjeet Kharel and BS Panth.

The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker would be elected when the Governor summons the first Assembly sitting of the newly elected MLAs.

The SKM had bagged 31 seats out of 32 Assembly seats in the recently concluded election. In this resounding victory, four SKM women candidates – Kala Rai, Krishna Kumari Rai, Raj Kumari Thapa and Pamin Lepcha – had also won from their respective constituencies.