Friday, Aug 01, 2025 23:15 [IST]
Last Update: Thursday, Jul 31, 2025 17:36 [IST]
GANGTOK,: Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba, while speaking in the Lok Sabha on
Wednesday, raised the long-pending and significant issue of reservation of
seats for the Limboo and Tamang Scheduled Tribe communities in the Sikkim
Legislative Assembly.
The
Lok Sabha MP informed the House that although the Limboo and Tamang communities
were recognized as Scheduled Tribes in 2003, they are yet to be granted
reserved seats in the State Legislative Assembly. Even after more than two
decades, these communities continue to await political representation in
accordance with constitutional provisions, he submitted to the Lok Sabha.
Referring
to Article 371F and Article 332 of the Constitution, Indra Hang underscored
that the reservation of seats for Scheduled Tribes in the State Assembly is a
constitutional mandate. While the inclusion of Limboo and Tamang in the ST list
has been officially notified, the requisite amendments under the Representation
of the People Act to provide for seat reservation remain unaddressed.
He
further stated that the next delimitation exercise is scheduled to be
undertaken any time after 2026. Hence, he urged the government to proactively
make provisions in the Representation of the People Act to enable reservation
of seats for Limboo and Tamang STs during the forthcoming delimitation.
Indra
Hang called upon the Government of India to uphold the constitutional rights of
the Limboo and Tamang communities and take immediate steps to ensure justice
and rightful representation in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, a press release
informs.
