Politics
Bhandari founded the Sikkim Janata Parishad in 1977. This party won the state assembly election held in 1979 and he became the chief minister for the first time on 18 October 1979. In 1984, he also served briefly as Member of Parliament from Sikkim constituency in the 8th Lok Sabha as an independent candidate. In 1984, Bhandari dissolved the Sikkim Janata Parishad and formed a new party called Sikkim Sangram Parishad. This party contested the assembly elections in 1985 and won, and Bhandari became the chief minister for the second time. In 1989, Sikkim Sangram Parishad returned to power by winning the assembly elections. In 1994, Bhandari lost the vote of confidence in the state assembly and he resigned as chief minister.
In 1994, Bhandari's party Sikkim Sangram Parishad lost the assembly elections to Pawan Kumar Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front. Sikkim Sangram Parishad also lost the 1999 assembly election. In the 2004 state assembly elections, Bhandari contested under the Congress party but the party lost the election, winning only one seat. Again in the 2009 assembly elections the Congress party under Bhandari failed to win any seat in the state assembly. But there are cases pending in the Court of Law regarding the conduct of elections. There are charges of elections being rigged.
Read more about this topic: Nar Bahadur Bhandari
Famous quotes containing the word politics:
“Our family talked a lot at table, and only two subjects were taboo: politics and personal troubles. The first was sternly avoided because Father ran a nonpartisan daily in a small town, with some success, and did not wish to express his own opinions in public, even when in private.”
—M.F.K. Fisher (1908–1992)