Finally breaking his silence, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) president Pawan Kumar Chamling on Tuesday congratulated the Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang for leading the SKM to landslide victory in the assembly elections by winning 31 out of 32 seats.

In the recently concluded elections held in Sikkim, the people have given their mandate in favour of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) led by Chief Minister Tamang, he said in a statement. The SKM returned to power in the Himalayan state for the second consecutive term.

“I, on behalf of the SDF, would like to extend our congratulations to the SKM for their success and look forward to the fulfilment of the assurances by the government in the interest of the Sikkimese people and for the overall development of the state,” Chamling said.

The opposition party chief who was the chief minister of Sikkim for 25 years, till 2019, did not react on the results for two days. Votes for the state assembly elections were counted on Sunday.

“Simultaneously, I extend my gratitude to the Election Commission of India, the chief electoral officer and his officials and all law enforcing agencies in Sikkim for the successful conduct of the assembly and parliamentary polls simultaneously.

The five-term former chief minister also expressed gratitude towards the people of Sikkim for participating in the democratic process to elect their government.

The SDF received its worst drubbing in 30 years winning just one assembly seat under Chamling’s leadership with the former chief minister himself losing from both Namcheybung and Poklok-Kamrang constituencies.

It will be the first time in 40 years that the 73-year-old SDF stalwart and eight-term MLA will not be setting foot in the Sikkim legislative assembly precincts when the 11th assembly convenes in due course.