Sikkim Democratic Front suspends J B Darnal for 'anti-party activities'

Gangtok, Nov 30 (PTI) Opposition Sikkim Democratic Front on Saturday suspended its leader J B Darnal for “anti-party activities”, days after he withdrew a petition against Sikkim Krantikari Morcha president and Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang from the Supreme Court.

The party has decided to suspend his primary membership with immediate effect till further notice, SDF vice-president (Administrative & Legal Affairs) Dev Gurung said in a statement.

"During preliminary examination, it has been observed that Darnal engaged in anti-party activities by withdrawing the writ petition from the Supreme Court recently," it said.

The petition challenged the reduction of Tamang's disqualification period by the Election Commission from six years to one year in 2019.

The reduction of the disqualification period by almost five years helped Tamang contest the polls that year and become an elected chief minister of the Himalayan state months after his party, the SKM, dethroned the SDF.

Two SDF leaders had filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court, challenging the EC’s decision. The petitioners, however, had recently urged the top court to withdraw the case and the prayer was granted.

One of the petitioners, Bimal Dawari Sharma, has resigned from the party and is no longer an SDF member, while J B Darnal, who is SDF vice-president, filed an application for withdrawal of the petition without consulting the party, Gurung had said earlier.

Gurung said the party had neither passed a resolution for withdrawing the petition nor given any authorisation to Darnal to withdraw the case.

Another petition in this regard, however, is still pending in the apex court.

The EC in September 2019 reduced Tamang's disqualification period by almost five years under a provision of the electoral law, paving the way for him to contest the state assembly elections.

His disqualification period of six years, during which he was barred from contesting polls, began on August 10, 2018 – the day he completed a year's jail term in a corruption case. PTI KDK RBT