Pawan Kumar Chamling
{{Short description|Indian politician, writer, former and 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim (born 1950)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Pawan Kumar Chamling Rai
| native_name = पवन कुमार चाम्लिङ राई
| image = File:PawanKumarChamling.jpg
| caption = Official Portrait
| office = 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim
| term_start = 12 December 1994
| term_end = 26 May 2019
| predecessor = Sanchaman Limboo
| successor = Prem Singh Tamang
| office1 = Leader of the Opposition, Sikkim Legislative Assembly
| term_start1 = 3 June 2019
| term_end1 = 13 August 2019
| predecessor1 = Prem Singh Tamang
| successor1 = Vacant
| office2 = Member of Sikkim Legislative Assembly
| term_start2 = 3 June 2014
| term_end2 = 2 June 2024
| predecessor2 = Binod Kumar Rai
| successor2 = Krishna Kumari Rai
| constituency2 = Namchi-Singhithang
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1950|9|22}}
| birth_place = Yangang, Kingdom of Sikkim
{{smaller|(present-day Sikkim, India)}}
| party = Sikkim Democratic Front
| nationality = Indian
| spouse = Dhan Maya Chamling Rai
Tika Maya Chamling Rai
| profession = {{Hlist|Politician|Writer}}
| alma_mater =
| children = 8
| website = {{URL|https://www.pawanchamling.com/}}
}}
Pawan Kumar Chamling Rai (born 22 September 1950{{cite book |title=Pawan Chamling Rai: Bio-note |url=https://wsds.teriin.org/2016/bio/pawan-chamling.pdf |access-date=13 Feb 2024 |archive-date=25 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025014019/http://wsds.teriin.org/2016/bio/pawan-chamling.pdf |url-status=live }}) is an Indian politician and writer who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Sikkim from 1994 to 2019. He is the longest serving Chief Minister in India, surpassing Naveen Patnaik.{{cite news| url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-budget-session-from-25-june_781560.html| title=Sikkim budget session from 25 June| work=Zee News| date=13 June 2012| agency=PTI| access-date=7 November 2012| location=Gangtok| archive-date=6 January 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106225207/http://zeenews.india.com/news/north-east/sikkim-budget-session-from-25-june_781560.html| url-status=live}}{{cite web | url=http://sikkim.nic.in/cmonline/homepage.htm | title=Pawan Chamling — The Fifth Chief Minister of Sikkim | publisher=National Informatics Centre | access-date=7 November 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130327160435/http://sikkim.nic.in/cmonline/homepage.htm | archive-date=27 March 2013 | url-status=dead }} Chamling is the Founding President of the Sikkim Democratic Front.{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/sikkim-cm-wants-bjp-chief-to-step-in/articleshow/60383450.cms|title=Sikkim CM wants BJP chief to step in|date=6 September 2017|newspaper=The Times of India|first=Chewan K|last=Dahal|access-date=30 August 2019|archive-date=17 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917103224/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/sikkim-cm-wants-bjp-chief-to-step-in/articleshow/60383450.cms|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Sikkim's Pawan Chamling becomes longest serving Chief Minister, surpasses former West Bengal Chief M - The New Indian Express |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/nation/2018/apr/29/sikkims-pawan-chamling-becomes-longest-serving-chief-minister-surpasses-former-west-bengal-chief-m-1807917.html |access-date=12 August 2020 |website=newindianexpress.com |archive-date=13 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213005512/http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/29/sikkims-pawan-chamling-becomes-longest-serving-chief-minister-surpasses-former-west-bengal-chief-m-1807917.amp |url-status=live }} He also served as the Leader of the opposition, Sikkim Legislative Assembly in the year of 2019. He represents 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).{{cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/29/sikkims-pawan-chamling-becomes-longest-serving-chief-minister-surpasses-former-west-bengal-chief-m-1807917.html|title=Sikkim's Pawan Chamling is the longest serving Chief Minister, surpassing former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu|access-date=21 November 2018|archive-date=6 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106225225/http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/29/sikkims-pawan-chamling-becomes-longest-serving-chief-minister-surpasses-former-west-bengal-chief-m-1807917.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Chamling's Family Wealth Swells by 80%|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/newswire/story/chamlings-family-wealth-swells-by-80/657798|access-date=2021-02-12|website=outlookindia}}
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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} 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.{{Cite news|title=Sikkim CM Pawan Kumar Chamling dangles 'crorepati' dream|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sikkim-cm-pawan-kumar-chamling-dangles-crorepati-dream/articleshow/33374752.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2021-02-12|archive-date=22 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622121331/https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/sikkim-cm-pawan-kumar-chamling-dangles-crorepati-dream/articleshow/33374752.cms?from=mdr|url-status=live}} 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.{{cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/chamling-sworn-in-as-sikkim-cm-for-record-fifth-time/|title=Chamling sworn in as Sikkim CM for record fifth time|agency=Press Trust of India|place=Gangtok|date=21 May 2014|access-date=21 May 2014|work=The Indian Express|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126093631/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/chamling-sworn-in-as-sikkim-cm-for-record-fifth-time/|url-status=live}}
His party SDF won 22 out of 32 assembly seats in the 2014 legislative assembly election. 18 months after the 2014 elections, on 30 November 2015, 7 out of 10 opposition MLAs joined the SDF party under the leadership of Pawan Chamling. The ruling front had 29 out of 32 assembly seats in the state.{{Cite web|url=https://newsd.in/why-are-national-parties-shunned-in-sikkim-dangal-2019/|title=Why are national parties shunned in Sikkim? (Dangal 2019)|last=IANS|date=2019-03-22|website=News and Analysis from India. A Refreshing approach to news.|language=en-US|access-date=2019-03-24|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324203657/https://newsd.in/why-are-national-parties-shunned-in-sikkim-dangal-2019/|url-status=live}}
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.[https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/bjp-now-main-opposition-party-in-sikkim-even-without-winning-a-single-seat/articleshow/70657139.cms?from=mdr BJP now main opposition party in Sikkim even without winning a single seat]{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{Cite web|date=2019-08-14|title=10 SDF legislators switch over to BJP|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/10-sdf-legislators-switch-over-to-bjp/story-qKcQJuqMqn2jbnoE1juggK.html|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Hindustan Times|language=en|archive-date=8 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008081602/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/10-sdf-legislators-switch-over-to-bjp/story-qKcQJuqMqn2jbnoE1juggK.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=2019-08-14|title=Ten SDF MLAs join BJP: Sikkim may be headed towards Arunachal Pradesh route, as mass crossovers leave ex-CM in the lurch|url=https://www.firstpost.com/politics/ten-sdf-mlas-join-bjp-sikkim-may-be-headed-towards-arunachal-pradesh-route-as-mass-crossovers-leave-ex-cm-in-the-lurch-7165761.html|access-date=2021-02-12|website=Firstpost|archive-date=1 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201142130/https://www.firstpost.com/politics/ten-sdf-mlas-join-bjp-sikkim-may-be-headed-towards-arunachal-pradesh-route-as-mass-crossovers-leave-ex-cm-in-the-lurch-7165761.html|url-status=live}} Chamling lost the 2024 Sikkim Legislative Assembly election, marking his first electoral defeat.
= Electoral records =
; Sikkim Legislative Assembly election
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;" |
Year
! Constituency ! colspan=2|Political Party ! Result ! Position ! Votes ! % Votes ! % Margin ! Deposit ! Source |
---|
1985
|Rowspan=5|Damthang |{{full party name with color|Sikkim Sangram Parishad|rowspan=2}} | {{Won}} | 1st/8 | 2,281 | 73.79 | +57.00 | refunded |
1989
| {{Won}} | 1st/2 | 4,227 | 94.27 | +88.54 | refunded |
1994
|{{full party name with color|Sikkim Democratic Front|rowspan=11}} | {{Won}} | 1st/4 | 3,904 | 70.27 | +43.93 | refunded |
1999
| {{Won}} | 1st/3 | 4,952 | 72.26 | +45.03 | refunded |
2004
| {{Won}} | 1st/1 | colspan="3" | - | refunded |
rowspan=2|2009
| {{Won}} | 1st/6 | 7,379 | 80.68 | +65.12 | refunded |
rowspan=2|Namchi-Singhithang
| {{Won}} | 1st/6 | 5,653 | 80.97 | +66.51 | refunded |
rowspan=2|2014
| {{Won}} | 1st/3 | 4,774 | 55.08 | +12.67 | refunded |
Rangang-Yangang
| {{Won}} | 1st/3 | 6,343 | 63.84 | +32.23 | refunded |
rowspan=2|2019
| {{Won}} | 1st/5 | 7,731 | 59.09 | +22.16 | refunded |
Namchi-Singhithang
| {{Won}} | 1st/5 | 5,054 | 50.31 | +3.75 | refunded |
rowspan=2|2024
| {{Lost}} | 2nd/5 | 4,974 | 34.03 | -20.96 | refunded |
Namchaybong
| {{Lost}} | 2nd/5 | 4,939 | 36.67 | -16.75 | refunded |
See also
{{Portal|Biography|India|Politics
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
- {{Twitter|id=pawanchamling5|name=Pawan Chamling}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Sanchaman Limboo}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chief Minister of Sikkim|years=12 December 1994 – 27 May 2019}}
{{s-aft|after=Prem Singh Tamang}}
|-
{{S-end}}
{{Chief Ministers of Sikkim}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chamling, Pawan}}
Category:Chief ministers of Sikkim
Category:Sikkim Democratic Front politicians
Category:People from Namchi district
Category:Nepali-language poets
Category:Sikkim Sangram Parishad politicians
Category:Sikkim MLAs 2019–2024
Category:Sikkim MLAs 1985–1989
Category:Sikkim MLAs 1989–1994
Category:Sikkim MLAs 1994–1999
Category:Sikkim MLAs 1999–2004
Category:Sikkim MLAs 2004–2009
Category:Sikkim MLAs 2009–2014