Sikkim Democratic Front wins upper Burtuk Assembly seat

Gangtok: Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) candidate Dilli Ram Thapa on Saturday won the upper Burtuk Assembly seat, garnering 8,406 votes in the bypolls.

Out of the total vote count, SDF candidate secured 8,406 votes, Suresh Khanal Sharma of BJP got 374 votes while Congress candidate Sumitra Rai bagged 98 votes.

Five Independent candidates contesting from the seat got 449 votes. Nota votes share stood at 100 of the total votes polled.

The BJP had fielded Suresh Khanal Sharma, while Sumitra Rai contested on a Congress ticket and Dilli Ram Thapa of the SDF was in the fray in the bypolls.

The bypoll was necessitated following the disqualification of sitting MLA Prem Singh Tamang (Goley), who was accused of misappropriation of funds during his tenure as the state Animal Husbandry department minister in 1996-97.