Gangtok: Sikkim’s lone Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba on Wednesday urged the Centre to provide special consideration to Sikkim during the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Subba highlighted Sikkim’s small population and comparatively low voter base, which he said makes the State more vulnerable to significant electoral impact from even minor changes in the rolls.
“When SIR is implemented in Sikkim, please ensure special attention is given to the State as our voter count is only 4.60 lakh. If the electoral roll changes by even 1,000 votes, it will have a major impact on the State election,” Subba said in his address.
Emphasising the unique representation challenges faced by Sikkim, he reminded the House that the State has only one MP in the Lok Sabha. “Technically, I represent a political party, but in reality, I have to represent the entire State because there is no other MP from Sikkim,” he said.
Subba also referred to the proposed concept of One Nation, One Election, pointing out that Sikkim has historically held simultaneous elections for both the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha on the same day.
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He further underscored the need to recognise the voices of smaller Himalayan states in national discourse. “India’s geographical diversity is as important as its cultural diversity. The Himalayan states — 12 states and one Union Territory — account for about 18% of India’s geographical area, but have only about 5% representation in the Lok Sabha. As a result, the issues of these regions are rarely heard in national discussions. This is why the voices of small states like ours are often not heard enough,” he said.
Highlighting Sikkim’s strong democratic participation, Subba noted that while the national average voter turnout is around 65%, Sikkim consistently records over 80% turnout.
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