In a big jolt to former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling, 10 MLAs of Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) joined the BJP on Tuesday. The saffron party, which had no MLAs in Sikkim,  is now the main Opposition in the State.

The MLAs met BJP working president JP Nadda and joined the party in the presence of its general secretary Ram Madhav, who is incharge of the party’s affairs in North-East.

Madhav told reporters that the SDF had a strength of 13 MLAs and its legislature party decided to merge with the BJP.

Chamling’s long rule as the head of SDF came to an end in May after over 24 years in power when his party lost the Assembly poll to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM).

While SKM won  17 seats, the SDF was placed a close second with  15. The effective strength of SDF is 13 as two of its MLAs got elected from two seats and since then resigned from one seat each.  By poll  for three seats is due in October. Total strength of Sikkim assembly is of 32 MLAs. 

BJP which had not won a single seat in the assembly poll is now in position to compete for power .

 Barring  Sikkim,  the BJP is running the government as the main party or in alliance with regional parties in all the northeastern states.

The SDF was a saffron ally earlier but now SKM has replaced it as a member of the BJP-headed North East Democratic Alliance.

The MLAs joining the BJP include Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, who served as a minister in the Chamling government for three times and is a five-term MLA, and three-term MLA Ugen Gyatso.

Lepcha said they were impressed with the “look east” of the Narendra Modi government, as he highlighted that his state is bounded by China, Bhutam and Nepal.

This is the first time that MLAs of a regional party in Sikkim has joined a national party “en bloc”, he said.

“We want lotus to bloom in Sikkim,” he said, referring to the BJP’s election symbol.

Madhav said the BJP will play the role of a constructive opposition in the state. eom