GANGTOK, Sept 29 - The Election Commission of India on Sunday gave a breather to Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay), reducing his disqualification period, thus allowing him to contest the bye-elections.
Tamang can now contest from the sole general seat of Poklok Kamrang, out of the three seats in the bypolls.
Tamang had served a year jail sentence from 2017 to 2018 on corruption charges after being pronounced guilty in a cow distribution case. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1951 a convicted person cannot contest elections for a period of six years.
On Saturday, the BJP and Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) announced an alliance for the bypolls � with the BJP contesting on two seats of Gangtok and Martam-Rumtek (both for the indigenous Bhutia Lepcha community).
After overthrowing the 25-year-old Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government led by Pawan Kumar Chamling in the recent assembly polls, with 17 seats in the 32-member Assembly, Golay was elected as the legislature party leader of the SKM, without being a member of the Assembly.
