BJP to contest all 32 Sikkim Assembly seats

Gangtok, Nov 18(UNI) BJP Sikkim today announced that the party will contest all the 32 Assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha seat in the coming elections, scheduled for next year.

The party said the doors are still open for an alliance with the regional parties or arriving at a tactical understanding with the opposition parties.

''BJP will contest all the Assembly seats and the Parliamentary seat in the coming elections in 2009 either alone or in alliance with the regional party/ parties or in tactical understanding with all the political parties which are in Opposition now,'' said Sikkim BJP president H R Pradhan in a press statement today.

''Selection of the party candidates will start for all the constituencies, subject to finalisation as per the prevailing situation at the time of filing nomination,'' Mr Pradhan said.

Regarding the selections of the candidates, BJP has finalised a five-member election committee consisting of two vice presidents, general secretary, treasure and secretary (organisation) who will decide the candidate for each of 32 Assembly constituencies and the lone Lok Sabha seat.

The major issues which will be taken up by party are-- reservation of seats in Assembly for Limboo-Tamang as Scheduled Tribe of Nepalese section of population without disturbing the seats reserved as Bhutia-Lepcha seats, reservation of seats in the Assembly for Nepalese section as a whole and others, corruption, unemployment and rising prices, said the Sikkim BJP president.

UNI BG KK KK ND1740