Sikkim: Bypolls To Seats Vacated By CM Tamang, His Wife On Nov 13

by Shambhu Datta Mishra

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The Soreng-Chakung Assembly constituency fell vacant after the resignation of Chief Minister Tamang as he had contested from two seats during the 2024 Sikkim Assembly election

The Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, mandates that a legislator relinquish one of two Assembly constituencies within 14 days after the declaration of election results and can only represent one Assembly constituency

Gangtok, Oct 16: Two Assembly constituencies in Sikkim, which were left vacant after Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang and his wife Krishna Kumari Rai resigned from their respective seats, will go to polls November 13, and the counting of votes will take place November 23.

The Soreng-Chakung Assembly constituency fell vacant after the resignation of Chief Minister Tamang as he had contested from two seats during the 2024 Sikkim Assembly election.

Meanwhile, the Namchi-Singhithang seat was left vacant after the resignation of Krishna Kumari Rai.

CM Tamang contested this year's state Assembly polls from two constituencies and won both seats by a margin of more than 7,000 votes.

His party Sikkim Krantikari Morcha swept the elections by winning 31 out of a total of 32 Assembly seats in the state.

The Chief Minister earlier said, "I apologise to the people of the 7-Soreng-Chakung constituency as I have decided to step aside, allowing an honest and loyal party functionary to serve you as your legislator."

"I sincerely congratulate and thank the people of the 7-Soreng-Chakung constituency for your intimacy, unity, duty consciousness, persistence, perseverance, dedication, and sacrifice. Your contributions have been invaluable, and I pledge to remain forever grateful to all of you," he added.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister's wife Krishna Kumari Rai, who won from the Namchi-Singhithang Assembly constituency in Sikkim, resigned as an MLA a day after taking oath as a legislator.

CM Tamang said that his wife stepped down as MLA as a part of a unilateral decision taken by the party.

As per the Election Commission's announcement, the last date for filing nominations for bypolls will be October 25.

(IANS)

Read More Odisha News

Coffee Exports From India Up 55 Pc As Global Demand Grows

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi, Oct 16: As the global demand for Indian coffee surges, the country has clocked coffee exports worth Rs 7,771.88 crore in the first half of current fiscal (FY25), a massive 55 per cent increase from Rs 4,956 crore during the same period last fiscal.

This surge highlights the growing global demand for Indian coffee and marks a pivotal moment for the nation’s agricultural sector.

For the April-September period, the country exported 2.2 lakh tonnes of coffee, a rise from 1.91 lakh tonnes in the same period last year which is a 15 per cent volume increase, as per latest data by the Coffee Board of India.

There has been a significant rise in coffee price in the international markets, amid anticipated European export regulations. Coffee buyers are paying an average of Rs 352 per kg for the Indian coffee, up from Rs 259 per kg earlier.

Among the countries exporting the Indian coffee, Italy tops the chart with 20 per cent of total exports. Germany, Russia, the UAE and Belgium collectively import 45 per cent of Indian coffee.

The coffee production in India was nearly 3.6 lakh metric tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year.

During 2021-22, Indian coffee exports stood at $1.016 billion, growing by 38 per cent from the previous year 2020-21. In the year 2021-22, India was the fifth largest exporter of coffee in the world with a share of about 6 per cent of global coffee exports.

Karnataka accounts for about 70 per cent of India’s coffee output. Kerala contributes 20 per cent of India’s coffee production, positioning it as the second-largest coffee-producing state in the country. Tamil Nadu ranks third with a 5.7 per cent share. The coffee export market has been a key driver of the country’s coffee industry. (IANS)

Sikkim: Bypolls To Seats Vacated By CM Tamang, His Wife On Nov 13

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