Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09KOLKATA127
2009-05-15 11:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Kolkata
Cable title:  

BHARAT BALLOT 09: SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT LIKELY TO RETURN

Tags:  PGOV PREL ENRG ELTN EFIN EAIR IN NP BT CH 
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VZCZCXRO5307
RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHDBU RUEHLH RUEHNEH RUEHPW
DE RUEHCI #0127/01 1351102
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151102Z MAY 09
FM AMCONSUL KOLKATA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2357
INFO RUCNCLS/ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0164
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DIA FT BELVOIR
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2894
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000127 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/INSB, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ENRG ELTN EFIN EAIR IN NP BT CH
SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 09: SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT LIKELY TO RETURN

KOLKATA 00000127 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000127

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/INSB, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ENRG ELTN EFIN EAIR IN NP BT CH
SUBJECT: BHARAT BALLOT 09: SIKKIM DEMOCRATIC FRONT LIKELY TO RETURN

KOLKATA 00000127 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Summary: The Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) appears
likely to continue its 15 year rule of the small mountainous
Northeast Indian state strategically wedged in between Nepal,
China (Tibet) and Bhutan. While it may not match the 2004
absolute sweep, it appears that it will retain its one Lok Sabha
parliamentary seat and most, if not all, of the 31 Sikkim state
assembly seats it won in 2004. SDF party members confirmed
that, as per standing practice, it will lend its support to
whichever government is formed at the national level. India's
1975 annexation of the former kingdom of Sikkim continues to
resonate emotively with the local population and, as a more
practical matter, to impact taxation and individual benefit
levels of so-called "Sikkim Subjects". The state government is
currently pursuing several large infrastructure projects
(hydro-electric, airport and rail) to generate state revenue and
improve trade, transit and tourism. Poloff visited Gangtok,
the state capitol of Sikkim, from May 8 - 10 to report on the
recently held April 30 parliamentary and state assembly polls,
the results of which will be announced along with other Indian
constituencies on May 16. End Summary.

Demographics - Overwhelmingly Nepali, Significant Bhutia Minority


2. (U) The only Indian state with an ethnic Nepali majority,
Sikkim borders Nepal, China (Tibet),Bhutan and the Indian state
of West Bengal. The population of Sikkim (approximately half a
million) is composed of 75% Nepali, 20% Bhutia and 5% other.
More than 60 percent of the population is Hindu, 28 percent
Buddhist, seven percent Christian and 1.4 percent Muslim.
Bhutias are ethnically similar to the people of Bhutan and Tibet
and they consider themselves the original residents of Sikkim.

A One Party (Sikkim Democratic Front) State


3. (SBU) The SDF has ruled Sikkim for the last 15 years as a
regional party focused on developing the state's people,

resources and infrastructure, while preserving the natural
beauty of the mountain state and a strong sense of Sikkim
political identity. SDF party president and current Chief
Minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling, has led the state government
during the 15 years of SDF rule. In 2004 the SDF won the sole
Lok Sabha parliamentary seat and all 31 of the contestable state
assembly seats. The Buddhist ecclesiastical community chose a
Congress representative as their ecclesiastic representative to
the Sikkim state assembly (as per the Indian Constitution,
national parliament and state assemblies may reserve a small
number of seats for representatives of religious minority
communities). According to political observers, the SDF will
retain the sole parliamentary seat and most of the 31 state
assembly seats, losing only one or two to the Congress. While
some voices question the autocratic hold of the SDF party on
state government, and bemoan the alleged corruption in contract
award and development activity, there is no large-scale movement
for "change" in this relatively prosperous state which enjoys a
high standard of living. SDF party members told PolOFF that the
party will support whichever party forms a national government
in order to maximize the amount of centrally provided financial
support to the state.

Legacies of a Kingdom - Sikkim Subjects


4. (SBU) When Sikkim acceded to the Indian Union in 1975; it
retained several of its pre-existing laws, privileges and
regalia. Before accession, Sikkim had issued certificates to
"Sikkim Subjects", those who had been subjects of the King,
which have since become of considerable value as "Sikkim
Subjects" are exempt from paying government income tax.
Children and spouses of "Sikkim Subjects" are also entitled to
this, and other educational benefits, creating a disparity
between "Sikkim Subjects" and "Non-Sikkim Subjects" within the
state. This effectively creates the anomaly of first and
second-class citizens, based not on ethnicity but on previous
"subject" status, within the present-day Indian democratic
polity. The SDF has privately acknowledged the necessity of
addressing the inequities; however, their only politically
feasible alternative is extension of the benefits to all Sikkim
residents which is a position that the Government of India would
most likely strong oppose.

Infrastructure Projects


5. (SBU) The state government has focused its infrastructure
efforts on harnessing the hydro-electric potential of the Teesta
River and improving the road and rail links connecting Sikkim
with West Bengal and the rest of India. Construction has
already begun on five of the 26 contracts awarded for a total of

KOLKATA 00000127 002.2 OF 002


4727 MW of hydro-electric power. The state would receive
approximately 12% of the electricity output from these projects
for their relatively limited internal consumption, while the
remaining much larger portion will be sold into the power grid.
The Indian military, through its Border Roads Organization, has
already invested considerable sums in the construction of roads
into the strategically important state. The state government is
looking to supplement existing road links with the construction
of the first rail line eventually connecting Gangtok with the
rail net via Siliguri in West Bengal. Work on the first phase,
a 53 km link from Siliguri to the bordertown of Rangpo, is
expected to commence later this year with a completion date of
2015-16. In February 2009 construction began on a USD 71
million project for the state's first airport in Pakyong, 30 km
from Gangtok, and is expected to be finished by June 2011.
Improved rail, road and air connections will benefit the state's
still relatively small, but promising tourist industry which
caters primarily to Indian tourists, with small numbers of
European and even fewer Americans making the trip. Indo-China
trade across the Nathu-La pass re-opened in 2006 continues to be
more symbolic, than meaningful, with the list of goods severely
limited.

Comment


6. (SBU) In Sikkim, the more important political question is not
which party will rule the state, but rather which SDF member
will become a minister in the next state government. The state
continues to develop its infrastructure through a generous
infusion of centrally-provided funds commiserate with its
strategic importance and also as a subtle reminder of the
benefits of its accession with India. State government and
party officials view royalties from upcoming hydro-electric
projects as potential substitutes for anticipated future
reductions in central subsidies. Locals appear to be generally
content in this small, but relatively prosperous, Northeast
Indian state. However, a wistful spark continues to alight in
their eyes whenever they speak or think about their Himalayan
neighbor Bhutan and its ability to preserve its sovereign
monarch status, long after Sikkim had lost hers.
TAYLOR