Bhaichung Bhutia, the former captain of the Indian football team, is once again facing defeat in electoral politics. In the Sikkim Polls 2024, Bhutia is trailing Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia of the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) by over 4,000 votes in the Barfung seat after the third and final round of counting.
The overall state figures from the Sikkim Polls 2024 are not favorable for Bhutia or his Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party. The incumbent SKM is set for a landslide victory, winning 31 out of 32 seats according to election trends.
The Sikkim Polls 2024 were held in a single phase on April 19. Although all leads are in, the official results have yet to be declared. Bhutia had formed his own Hamro Sikkim Party in 2018, but merged it with the SDF last year. Currently serving as the vice-president of the SDF, Bhutia is part of the main opposition party in the Himalayan state known for its picturesque lakes.
Bhutia’s political journey has seen several defeats. He previously contested elections twice in West Bengal as a Trinamool Congress candidate: the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Darjeeling and the 2016 assembly elections from Siliguri, losing both. He then moved his electoral base to Sikkim, forming his own party and contesting the 2019 assembly elections from Gangtok and Tumen-Lingi, only to face defeat in both attempts. He also lost the 2019 bypoll from Gangtok.
As the Sikkim Polls 2024 draw to a close, it appears that Bhutia’s foray into politics will remain challenging, with the SKM maintaining a strong grip on the state’s political landscape.
