Pawan Kumar Chamling

Pawan Kumar Chamling Rai (born 22 September 1950 ) is an Indian politician and writer of Sikkimese descent who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim from 12 December 1994 to 26 May 2019. He is the longest serving Chief Minister in India, surpassing Naveen Patnaik. Chamling is the Founder-President of the Sikkim Democratic Front. He also served as the Leader of the opposition, Sikkim Legislative Assembly in the year of 2019. He represented the Namchi-Singhithang constituency in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly since 2019 till 2024 and the Damthang constituency from 1985 to 1994. Prior to establishing the Sikkim Democratic Front, Chamling served as Minister for Industries, Information and Public Relations from 1989 to 1992 in Nar Bahadur Bhandari's cabinet.

Personal life

Chamling was born in Yangang, South Sikkim to Nepali parents Ash Bahadur Chamling Rai and Asha Rani Chamling Rai. Chamling is also a prolific Nepali language writer, and recipient of the Bhanu Puraskar (2010) awarded by Sikkim Sahitya Parishad. He writes under the pen name Pawan Chamling. Mr. Chamling has two wives and 8 children (4 sons and 4 daughters).

Political career

Chamling was elected as the president of Yangang Gram Panchayat in 1982. In 1985, he was elected to the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for the first time. After being elected for the second time from Damthang, he became the Minister for Industries, Information and Public Relations from 1989 to 1992 in the Nar Bahadur Bhandari cabinet. After a series of major political upheavals in Sikkim, Chamling formed the Sikkim Democratic Front on 4 March 1993.

Chamling is the second chief minister in India after Jyoti Basu, of West Bengal to govern a state five terms in a row, with his party Sikkim Democratic Front winning the 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014 Sikkim Legislative Assembly elections. His party first came to power in Sikkim after winning the 1994 Sikkim assembly elections. His popularity kept soaring in Sikkim due to his developmental work and for maintaining peace. In 2009, his party Sikkim Democratic Front won all 32 assembly seats in Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

In 2012, he faced allegations of corruption and Bhandari, his predecessor as CM, predicted that Chamling would go to jail if he lost his power. And his former comrade Tamang (Golay) developed differences with him and floated his own party. These developments created political challenge for him, but he managed to win the assembly elections of 2014, albeit with a much reduced majority.

Following win in 2014 assembly election, he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the fifth consecutive time on 21 May 2014 by Shriniwas Dadasaheb Patil, the Governor of Sikkim. He became the chief minister for a fifth time, a record previously held by Jyoti Basu who ruled West Bengal from 1977 to 2000.

Chamling resigned as CM after 2019 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election as former member Prem Singh Tamang's Sikkim Krantikari Morcha party formed the government by winning 17 seats out of 32. SDF party won the remaining 15 seats. Two of the SDF legislators had won from two seats each of which one had to be given up, reducing their strength to 13. In August 2019, 10 MLAs quit his party to join Bharatiya Janata Party and in the same month two other legislators joined Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. Thus making Chamling only MLA of the party. Chamling lost the 2024 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election from both the seats he contested, marking his first electoral defeat.

Electoral records Sikkim Legislative Assembly election Year ConstituencyPolitical Party Result Position Votes % Votes % Margin Deposit Source 1985Damthang 1st/8 2,281 73.79 +57.00 refunded 1989 1st/2 4,227 94.27 +88.54 refunded 1994 1st/4 3,904 70.27 +43.93 refunded 1999 1st/3 4,952 72.26 +45.03 refunded 2004 1st/1 - refunded 2009 Poklok-Kamrang 1st/6 7,379 80.68 +65.12 refunded Namchi-Singhithang 1st/6 5,653 80.97 +66.51 refunded Rangang-Yangang 1st/3 6,343 63.84 +32.23 refunded Namchi-Singhithang 1st/5 5,054 50.31 +3.75 refunded 2024 Poklok-Kamrang 2nd/5 4,974 34.03 -20.96 refunded Namchaybong 2nd/5 4,939 36.67 -16.75 refunded