The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Sikkim Election Watch have scrutinised the election affidavits of all 146 candidates vying for the Sikkim 2024 Legislative Assembly elections.
Among these candidates, a staggering 70 percent, totaling 102 individuals, are millionaires.
This analysis reveals a significant increase compared to the 2019 Sikkim Legislative Assembly elections, where 43 percent of the candidates were millionaires out of a pool of 150 contestants.
Major political parties in Sikkim field wealthy candidates, with notable percentages of millionaires among them.
The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has 97 percent of its candidates, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) has 88 percent, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 68 percent millionaires among its contenders.
Even smaller parties like the Citizen Action Party see a significant proportion of their candidates with millionaire status.
Among these affluent candidates, Delay Namgyal Barfungpa of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha boasts the highest wealth at 137 crore rupees, followed closely by Bhaichung Bhutia of the Sikkim Democratic Front with assets totaling 127 crore rupees.
Interestingly, the average increase in assets of the 19 legislators contesting again between the 2019 and 2024 Sikkim Legislative Assembly elections stands at 8.61 crore rupees, indicating a substantial rise in personal wealth over the past term.
However, along with the wealth disparity, there is a concerning trend of candidates with criminal records.
In this analysis, 5 percent of candidates have declared criminal cases against themselves, with 4 percent facing serious criminal charges. This represents a slight increase compared to the 2019 elections.
Educational qualifications and gender diversity among candidates also come under scrutiny.
Around 41 percent of candidates have educational qualifications ranging from 5th to 12th grade, while only 10 percent of the candidates are female.
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