Sikkim Lok Sabha Election 2019: Counting of votes today; CM Chamling seeks 6th term

In number terms, of the total 4,32,306 electorate, 3,38,001 exercised their democratic right in 567 polling stations to choose their representatives from among 150 candidates for the state Assembly and 11 for the lone Lok Sabha seat.

Pawan Chamling - Chief Minister of Sikkim since December 1994. (PIC/Twitter account)

Gangtok: North-eastern state Sikkim was one of the four states which held simultaneous Legislative Assembly elections, alongside Lok Sabha elections. Sikkim had recorded an overall polling percentage of 78.19 for its 32-seat Legislative Assembly and single Lok Sabha constituency with women voters outnumbering men in the North district. The key parties in Sikkim's politics are SDF, SKM, Congress and Humro Sikkim Party (HSP). The polling for both the Assembly constituencies as well as the Lok Sabha seat took place in the first phase on April 11. All eyes are on the results to find out who will win between the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and the main Opposition Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM). The SDF is seeking to form the government for a sixth consecutive term, but a resurgent SKM is equally determined to ring in the change this time, having given its rival a scare five years ago when it bagged 10 of the 32 Assembly seats. Both the parties have fielded candidates in all the constituencies this time as w While the main poll plank of the SDF is peace and prosperity during the 25-year-old reign of the party under chief minister Pawan Chamling, who wants to extend his record, the SKM rode primarily on the anti-incumbency factor.  Prem Das Rai of the SDF won the Sikkim Lok Sabha seat in the previous two general elections but hasn't contested this time. According to the final figures, 78.55 per cent of male voters and 77.81 per cent of female voters exercised their franchise. In number terms, of the total 4,32,306 electorate, 3,38,001 exercised their democratic right in 567 polling stations to choose their representatives from among 150 candidates for the state Assembly and 11 for the lone Lok Sabha seat. The North district saw 81.95 per cent female and 81.51 per cent male voters queue up before the polling booths. The district also recorded the highest polling percentage -- 81.74. The lowest polling percentage of 75.60 per cent was seen in the West district. Among the Assembly constituencies, Djongu in North district recorded the highest polling percentage of 86. Of its 9,523 electors, 8,190 voted. The constituency recorded a female voter turnout of 86.02 per cent, which was slightly more than the percentage of male voters that stood at 85.98. The Himalayan state's unique constituency Sangha -- that has no existence on the state's map and is without any geographical boundaries and permits only the monks and nuns to contest and vote -- recorded the lowest polling percentage at 68.05. Among the voters, 68.18 per cent were monks, and 62.32 per cent nuns. (With inputs from IANS and The Telegraph)