Sikkim Statehood Day 2023: All You Need To Know

SIKKIM STATEHOOD DAY 2023: Sikkim commemorates its statehood day annually on May 16 to acknowledge its integration with India and its emergence as the 22nd state in the country. Formerly a kingdom in the Himalayas, Sikkim’s journey towards statehood had a lot of twists and turns. As Sikkim Statehood day is marked, take a look at how the region became a part of India.

In the seventeenth century, the Namgyal dynasty formed the Kingdom of Sikkim . The kingdom was made a protectorate of the British Empire in 1890. The dynasty continued to function under the Chogyal (Buddhist priest-kings).

After India’s independence, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to continue the kingdom’s unique protectorate status. India oversaw Sikkim’s external relations, defence, diplomacy, and communications but otherwise preserved its administrative independence.

In order to enable constitutional rule under the Namgyal rule, a state council was established in 1953. While this was going on, the Sikkim National Congress called for new elections. Soon, relations between the monarchy and the people deteriorated.

A people’s agitation against the monarchy in 1973 was led by former Sikkim Council member Kazi Lhendup Dorji. After riots broke out in front of the Chogyal’s palace in 1973, the Chogyal formally requested security from India. This led to the kingdom signing a contract with India and its three major political parties regarding the introduction of democratic reforms.

In 1974, the Congress, led by Kazi Lhendup Dorji, emerged ahead of other parties in the legislative elections. A new constitution, which restricted Chogyal to a titular post, was adopted.

On the other hand, the Indian government changed Sikkim’s status to “associated state” and gave it one seat each in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, as reported by the Indian Express.

The Sikkim Prime Minister requested that Sikkim become a state of India in a petition to the Indian Parliament in 1975. The Chogyal palace guards were disarmed by the Indian Army, which had taken control of Gangtok in April of that year. After that, a referendum was held in which it was determined that a majority of participants favoured overthrowing the monarchy, authorising a union with India.

Sikkim became a state in India, and the monarchy was abolished on May 16. The Indian Parliament amended the Constitution to permit the formation of a new state. Later, the 36th Amendment created Sikkim as a full state, and added its name to the Constitution’s First Schedule.