1975 Sikkimese monarchy referendum

Referendum that resulted in Sikkim becoming an Indian state yes May 2024 May 2024 Abolishing the monarchy 1967 Kingdom of Sikkim yes 1975 04 14 59,637 1,496 61,133 ≈63 1967 1967 Goa status referendum A referendum on abolishing the monarchy was held in the Kingdom of Sikkim on 14 April 1975.Sikkim (India), 14 April 1975: Abolition of the monarchy https://web.archive.org/web/20170818220430/http://www.sudd.ch/event.php?lang=en&id=in011975 18 August 2017 Direct Democracy de Official results stated the proposal was approved by 97.55% of voters with a turnout of about 63%, and resulted in the country becoming an Indian state. Background Sikkim had been a protectorate of India during the British colonial rule since the 19th century. The arrangement was continued after India's independence through a treaty in 1950, by which India assumed responsibility for communications, defence and foreign affairs, as well as the "territorial integrity" of Sikkim. Sikkim had autonomy in internal affairs.Leo E. Rose India and Sikkim: Redefining the Relationship Pacific Affairs 42 1 Spring 1969 32–46 10.2307/2754861 2754861 Rose, India and Sikkim 1969Sikkim: Society, Polity, Economy, Environment Lama Mahendra Indus Publishing Company 1994 New Delhi 110–111 Support for the Chogyal (the monarch) came from the Bhutia community (Tibetan settlers that came in during the medieval times) and to some extent the native Lepchas.Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 790 During the colonial rule, the population of these two communities declined to less than 25% of the population of Sikkim. The remainder of the population was mostly made up of Nepali settlers, who came in during the British Raj. In the elections to the representative bodies, each vote of Bhutia-Lepcha communities was counted as representing six votes so as to give them an undue weight.Saha, Citizenship Dilemmas of the Nepalis 2022 pp. 259–260: "In terms of adult franchise, each Sikkimese Nepalis(ese) was assigned one vote, but the impact of one vote for each Lepcha and Bhutia would extrapolate to six votes in the count. The Chogyal argued that as the Lepcha-Bhutias were minority communities in the state, providing them a level playing field against the majority Nepalis(ese) was necessary. This lopsided arrangement, according to the Chogyal, would guarantee a balanced right of franchise to the minorities." The Indian government went along with this unequal system in the interest of stability in a strategic buffer state along the border.Werner Levi Bhutan and Sikkim: Two Buffer States The World Today 15 12 December 1959 492–500 40393115Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 p. 796: "However, underlying this approach was the assumption that the King would be a reliable and stable ally. On both counts the Chogyal failed New Delhi." Government of Sikkim Act In 1973, according to observers, India perceived increasing hostility from the Chogyal and decided to back the democratic movements which called for "one man one vote".Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 pp. 797–798: "In any case, by 1973 the Indian Government had decided to change horses and back the political parties, particularly Kazi Lhendup Dorji. It is reasonable to assume that the Kazi was promised support if he could carry the people with him and establish a government that was closer to India." Following violent agitations in April 1973, India mediated between the political movements and Chogyal, and brought in a new system, whereby an equal number of seats would be reserved for Bhutia-Lepchas and Nepalis (15 each), but the electorate would function on a "one man one vote" principle.Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 pp. 791–792: "Under this system, the candidate must be from the community for which the seat is reserved, but the contender receiving the largest number of votes cast by the entire electorate is considered elected."Two additional seats were reserved for Scheduled Castes and the Buddhist sangha, respectively. In the following elections, Sikkim National Congress, led by Kazi Lhendup Dorji, won 31 out of the 32 seats, defeating the royalist National Party in both the Nepali-dominated as well as Bhutia-Lepcha-dominated constituencies.Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 p. 793: "The Sikkim Congress won an overwhelming victory, capturing all but one of the seats it contested, including those constituencies in which the Bhutia and Lepchas were the majority communities." Between May and July 1974, the new government passed the Government of Sikkim Act, which was to be the new constitution for Sikkim. It was based on May 1973 agreement mediated by the Indian government, and created three institutions: Chief Minister, Council of Ministers and a Chief Executive. The office of the Chief Executive, reminiscent of the systems used during the British Raj, appeared to be the real head of state even though its holder was expected to seek the approval of the Chogyal for all important matters, while Chogyal himself was divested of all power.Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 pp. 794–795: "The Chief Executive was a new post, the most important in Sikkim with power effectively flowing from him to the Chief Minister on the one side and the Chogyal on the other. He was also the liaison body between the Chogyal, the political parties and the Government of India, with the decisions of the Indian government in any dispute to be final."Rose, Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System 1978 225 There were also several provisions for furthering relations with India.Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 795 On 4 July 1974, it received the approval of the Chogyal.Bajpai, China's Shadow over Sikkim 1999 208 On 13 August 1974, the Sikkim National Congress wrote to the Government of India citing the Chapter VI of the new constitution and sought participation of the people of Sikkim in the political institutions of India. Based on the request, the Government of India introduced the Constitutional (Thirty Sixth Amendment) Bill, 1974 giving Sikkim the status of an Associated State, and providing to Sikkim one seat each in the two houses of Indian Parliament. The Bill was passed by the Parliament by 7 September 1974.Lawmakers Vote Sikkim Status of Indian State 5 September 1974 The Spokesman-Review https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19740905&id=vR5OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7242,1915999 https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135735/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19740905&id=vR5OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7242,1915999 21 August 2019Sikkim Bill Ratified 9 September 1974 New Straits Times https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19740909&id=b4YjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Cn4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5616,816824 https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135735/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19740909&id=b4YjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Cn4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=5616,816824 21 August 2019Bajpai, China's Shadow over Sikkim 1999 208Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 360–361 Chogyal's opposition The Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal immediately objected to India's Constitutional Amendment, calling it a violation of the 1950 Indo-Sikkim treaty. He asked the Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi to safeguard "our separate identity and international personality".Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 362 According to Indian commentators, he also tried to "internationalise" the issue, by telling the foreign press that Sikkim was being "annexed" by India.Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 362–363 In February 1975, the Chogyal went to Nepal for the coronation of its king. He was said to have engaged in anti-India propaganda, attempting to mobilise the visiting foreign dignitaries to take up his cause.Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 363 This inflamed the political movements in Sikkim, calling for the abolition of monarchy and the expulsion of the Chogyal from Sikkim. When the Chogyal returned to Sikkim, demonstrations blocked his way to the palace, and the palace guards attacked the demonstrators, injuring one member of the National Assembly. There were also reports of the Chogyal trying to raise a guerrilla force and importing arms from Chinese-administered Tibet. A supporter of Chogyal went to court and obtained an injunction against sending Sikkimese representatives to the Indian Parliament. There was violence on the streets with several people being shot in Gangtok.Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 363 The chief minister, Kazi Lhendup Dorji, requested Indian intervention. The Indian Army was sent in to disarm the palace guards, and the security of the palace was taken over by the Indian forces.Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 363 The National Assembly passed a resolution calling for abolition of the monarchy and merger with the Indian Union. The chief ministered ordered a referendum on both the points to be held on 14 April 1975.Sikkim Referendum Slated on Indian Statehood 11 April 1975 The Lewiston Daily Sun https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19750411&id=_g8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CmYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1266,1583524 https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135736/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19750411&id=_g8gAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CmYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1266,1583524 21 August 2019Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 363–364Bajpai, China's Shadow over Sikkim 1999 211 A referendum had also been consistently demanded by the Chogyal and his supporters since the Indian incorporation of Sikkim as an associate state in September.Sikkim Leader Wants Appeal The Montreal Gazette 9 September 1974 https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19740909&id=CQwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4272,2162710 21 August 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135750/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19740909&id=CQwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u6EFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4272,2162710 Results 59637 1496 Direct Democracy The results of the plebiscite were questioned by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, who argued that "it took at least two days by jeep, the fastest mode of transport, to reach some of these inaccessible habitations, and it just would not have been physically possible to complete arrangements, hold the polls and count votes between 11 and 15 April."Indian hegemonism drags Himalayan kingdom into oblivion http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Indian-hegemonism-drags-Himalayan-kingdom-into-oblivion?page=1 4 December 2016 Nikkei Nikkei Asian Review 21 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20170403015228/http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Indian-hegemonism-drags-Himalayan-kingdom-into-oblivion?page=1 3 April 2017 dead Supporters of the Chogyal maintain that 70 to 80% of voters were outsiders from India. Reactions China and Pakistan called the referendum a farce and a disguise for the forced annexation of the principality, to which Indira Gandhi replied by reminding them of their annexation of Tibet and the issue of Azad Kashmir, which India claims as Indian territory, respectively. The Chogyal called the referendum "illegal and unconstitutional".Sikkim Voters OK Merger With India https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135738/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1755&dat=19750416&id=vDogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_mYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7319,25549 21 August 2019 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 16 April 1975Sikkim Votes On Indian Merger https://web.archive.org/web/20170417173954/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1873&dat=19750415&id=B0YfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ftEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2633,5501632 17 April 2017 Daytona Beach Morning Journal, 15 April 1975 The U.S. government viewed the merging of Sikkim into India as a historic and practical inevitability, given the state's location on important trade routes. The Soviet Union responded positively, though with a muted response.June 2023 In 1978, Gandhi's successor, Prime Minister Morarji Desai, expressed regret and criticised the annexation of Sikkim, which along with increasing inflation led to violent protests against him by youth wing of the Indian National Congress.Use Tear Gas on Indian Mob https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135742/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19780320&id=BZgzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=GOkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4827,2990865 21 August 2019 Gettysburg Times, 20 March 1978 While Desai said the annexation was "not a desirable step" and bemoaned the fact he could not undo it, he also claimed "most of the people there wanted it" due to the unpopularity of the Chogyal.8 March 1978 Desai Deplores Annexation of Sikkim, but Says He Cannot Undo https://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/08/archives/desai-deplores-annexation-of-sikkim-but-says-he-cannot-undo-it.html live 17 May 2021 The New York Times https://web.archive.org/web/20170911085920/http://www.nytimes.com/1978/03/08/archives/desai-deplores-annexation-of-sikkim-but-says-he-cannot-undo-it.html 11 September 2017 Aftermath After the declaration of the results, Sikkim's chief minister Kazi Lhendup Dorji cabled the results of the referendum to Indira Gandhi and asked her "to make an immediate response and accept the decision" to which she responded by saying that the Indian government would introduce a constitutional amendment in Parliament that would allow the kingdom to become part of India constitutionally.India Slates State Status for Sikkim https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135744/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1350&dat=19750417&id=uxZPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QAIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2627,5630200 21 August 2019 Toledo Blade, 17 April 19751975-04-16 Sikkim Votes to End Monarchy, Merge With India https://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/16/archives/sikkim-votes-to-end-monarchy-merge-with-india.html 2026-08-09 The New York Times en-US 0362-4331 live https://web.archive.org/web/20170819022845/http://www.nytimes.com/1975/04/16/archives/sikkim-votes-to-end-monarchy-merge-with-india.html 19 August 2017 The Indian Parliament gave its final approval to the constitutional amendment making Sikkim a state on 26 April 1975.Sikkim annexation OK'd https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135744/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19750427&id=26NVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MOADAAAAIBAJ&pg=3221,7095696 21 August 2019 Eugene Register-Guard, 27 April 1975 On 15 May 1975 Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed ratified a constitutional amendment that made Sikkim the 22nd state of India and abolished the position of the Chogyal.Sikkim Annexed, Now Indian State https://web.archive.org/web/20190821135741/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19750516&id=4spRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fm0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4840,2124351 21 August 2019 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 16 May 1975 Hope Cooke, the former Gyalmo (queen) of Sikkim, stated in her autobiography that she believed the 1978 death of the Chogyal's eldest son, Prince Tenzing, a popular figure and defiant Sikkimese nationalist, was orchestrated by India to weaken Sikkimese nationalism, noting that the prince was on a road built for one-way traffic when he was hit by a one-ton truck, and that there was no inquiry into the accident.Time Change- An Autobiography Cooke Hope Simon and Schuster 1981 New York See also Sikkim: Requiem for a Himalayan Kingdom Notes References 30em Bibliography Bajpai G. S. G. S. Bajpai China's Shadow Over Sikkim: The Politics of Intimidation https://books.google.com/books?id=EB2l6dr_JlwC 1999 Lancer Publishers 978-1-897829-52-3 Bajpai, China's Shadow over Sikkim 1999 Ranjan Gupta Sikkim: The Merger with India Asian Survey 15 9 September 1975 786–798 10.2307/2643174 2643174 Gupta, Sikkim: The Merger with India 1975 Rose Leo E. Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System: Sikkim 1890–1973 James F. Fisher Himalayan Anthropology: The Indo-Tibetan Interface https://books.google.com/books?id=B0C-IhEKrSEC&pg=PA205 1978 Walter de Gruyter 978-90-279-7700-7 205– Rose, Modernizing a Traditional Administrative System 1978 Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy S. C. Sen Verfassung und Recht in Übersee / Law and Politics in Africa, Asia and Latin America 8 3/4 345–364 1975 43108474 Sen, Sikkim—Where Feudalism fights Democracy 1975 Biswanath Saha Citizenship Dilemmas of the Nepalis(ese) of Darjeeling Hills and Beyond Citizenship in Contemporary Times: The Indian Context Gorky Chakraborty Taylor & Francis 2022 9781000807721 230–246 https://books.google.com/books?id=1SCcEAAAQBAJ Saha, Citizenship Dilemmas of the Nepalis 2022 Sikkim Monarchy Category:Indira Gandhi administration Category:Referendums in Sikkim Category:Sikkim monarchy Category:Monarchy referendums Sikkim Category:Invasions by India Category:Political controversies in India