Golay sworn in as Sikkim chief minister

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) supremo P S Golay was sworn in as the new chief minister of Sikkim on Monday.

Along with Golay, 11 other SKM MLAs were sworn in as members of the Council of Ministers by Governor Ganga Prasad at a grand event held in the Palzor stadium in Gangtok.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Golay said that his government will focus on maintaining peace in the border state and ensure development for the people of all communities.

The 52-year-old Golay started his career as a teacher in a state-run school after graduating from a college in Darjeeling. He resigned from his government job to take up social work and soon joined the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). He was elected five times as an SDF MLA and served as a minister in the Pawan Chamling government till 2009.

However, after Chamling denied him a ministerial post in the fourth SDF government during 2009-2014, Golay resigned from the party and floated the SKM. He accused the SDF of corrupt practices and misrule. Golay proved his mettle in the 2014 Assembly elections in Sikkim when SKM won 10 seats.

Golay was convicted in a corruption case in 2016 following which he was disqualified as an MLA. He did not contest the Assembly elections this time most likely apprehending that his candidature will be rejected by the Election Commission (EC) due to his earlier conviction and year-long prison sentence.