Nar Bahadur Bhandari

Nar Bahadur Bhandari (5 October 1940 – 16 July 2017) was an Indian politician who served as the chief minister of the state of Sikkim from 1979 to 1994. He briefly served as Member of Parliament representing Sikkim Lok Sabha constituency from 1984 to 1985. He was the founding leader of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad. He was popularly remembered for his efforts to include the Nepali language in 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India. He was awarded with prestigious Jagadamba Shree Purasakar for his contribution for Nepali language.[1] He was the first Indian chief minister of Gorkha origin. He also served as the president of Bharatiya Nepali Bhasha Parisangh until his death. He is popularly known as the architect of modern Sikkim.

Nar Bahadur Bhandari
2nd Chief Minister of Sikkim
In office
8 March 1985 – 17 June 1994
GovernorKona Prabhakara Rao
Bhishma Narain Singh (Additional Charge)
T. V. Rajeswar
S. K. Bhatnagar
R. H. Tahiliani
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded bySanchaman Limboo
In office
18 October 1979 – 11 May 1984
GovernorB. B. Lal
Homi J. H. Taleyarkhan
Preceded byPresident's rule
Succeeded byB. B. Gurung
Member of Parliament
In office
1984–1985
ConstituencySikkim
Personal details
Born(1940-10-05)5 October 1940
Malbasy, Soreng, Kingdom of Sikkim
Died16 July 2017(2017-07-16) (aged 76)
New Delhi, India
NationalityIndian
Political partySikkim Sangram Parishad
SpouseDil Kumari Bhandari
Residence(s)Gangtok, Sikkim, India

Personal life

Nar Bahadur Bhandari was born on 5 October 1940[2] in Malbasay village, near Soreng, West Sikkim[3] He earned his BA degree from Darjeeling Government College and worked as a school teacher for some years before entering politics. His wife, Dil Kumari Bhandari, is a former member of parliament (Lok Sabha) from Sikkim. He has three daughters and son.[4]

Politics

Bhandari founded the Sikkim Janata Parishad in 1977. This party won the state assembly election in 1979, and he became the chief minister for the first time on 18 October 1979[3]. In 1984, he also served briefly as member of parliament from the Sikkim constituency in the 8th Lok Sabha as an independent candidate. In 1984, Bhandari dissolved Sikkim Janata Parishad and formed a new party called Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP). This party ran in the assembly elections in 1985 and won, and Bhandari became the chief minister for the second time.[3]

In 1989, SSP returned to power by winning the assembly elections.[3] In a rare instance in Indian national politics, the SSP became the singular party in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly, winning all 32 seats in the house. In 1994, Bhandari lost a vote of confidence in the state assembly, and he resigned as chief minister. Later, he served as a member of the legislative assembly from 1994 to 2004.

In 1994, SSP lost the assembly elections to the Sikkim Democratic Front led by Pawan Kumar Chamling. SSP also lost the 1999 assembly election. In the 2004 state assembly elections, Bhandari ran under the Congress party, but the party lost the election, winning only one seat in the assembly.[5] In May 2007, he was sentenced to prison for one month in a corruption case. [6] Again in the 2009 assembly elections, the Congress party under Bhandari failed to win any seat in the state assembly.

In the 2014 election, his party unanimously supported a new political party Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, under the leadership of PS Golay. Bhandari, despite his conviction in a corruption case continued campaigning for SKM which managed to win only 10 seats out of 32. Prior to his death, he was closely involved with the SKM party; he gave his last speech at the SKM Foundation Day Celebration in Singtam on 4 February 2017.

His notable political accomplishments are free education from elementary to graduate school, establishing nearby schools-- within a radius of 3 to 4 km-- for all residents, providing drinking water to every household in Sikkim, building a network of roads to all major villages in Sikkim, bringing all rural areas onto the electric grid, and the setup of vast healthcare centers.

Later life and death

Bhandari became the president of the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) after he had merged SSP with the Indian National Congress in 2003. In May 2013, he was reinstated as the president of SSP. In 2014, he was convicted in a CBI corruption case.[7]

Bhandari died on 16 July 2017 following spinal surgery.[8]

His final rites were performed with full state honours by the current chief minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling, including a 21-gun salute. In a very rare gesture, the family of the former king of Sikkim sent their royal flag to be wrapped around Bhandari's body during the state funeral.

Electoral records
Sikkim Legislative Assembly election
Year Constituency Political Party Result Position Votes  % Votes  % Margin Deposit Source
1979 Soreong SJP Won 1st/7 1,833 70.26 +55.88 refunded [9]
1985 Soreong SSP Won 1st/5 2,964 80.48 +63.29 refunded [10]
1989 Soreong SSP Won 1st/3 4,712 91.53 +83.76 refunded [11]
1994 Soreong SSP Won 1st/4 3,291 51.83 +6.38 refunded [12]
1999 Soreong SSP Lost 2nd/3 3,390 48.85 -0.95 refunded [12]
1999 Rhenock SSP Won 1st/4 3,364 55.97 +13.11 refunded [12]
2004 Central Pendam-East Pendam INC Lost 2nd/4 2,165 22.77 -36.34 refunded [13]
2004 Gangtok INC Lost 2nd/4 2,829 31.70 -34.99 refunded [13]
2009 Soreong-Chakung INC Lost 2nd/5 2,378 24.34 -42.16 refunded [14]
2009 Khamdong-Singtam INC Lost 2nd/3 3,032 39.76 -16.60 refunded [14]
Lok Sabha election, Sikkim
Year Constituency Political Party Result Position Votes  % Votes  % Margin Deposit Source
1984 Sikkim IND Won 1st/8 56,614 68.50 +42.69 refunded [15]
1996 Sikkim SSP Lost 2nd/7 42,175 24.50 -47.65 refunded [16]

References
  1. "नरबहादुर भण्डारी – मदन पुरस्कार गुठी". guthi.madanpuraskar.org. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  2. "Sikkim: Former CM, Nar Bahadur Bhandari turns 76 today!". The Northeast Today. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. "Former Sikkim CM Nar Bahadur Bhandari passes away". Business Standard India. Business Standard. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. "Former Sikkim CM Nar Bahadur Bhandari passes away". DD News. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  5. "Election Commission India". Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010. Election Commission of India - Sikkim Assembly Elections
  6. "Former Sikkim CM sentenced to prison in corruption case". Hindustan Times. 28 May 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  7. "Former Sikkim CM sentenced to prison in corruption case". Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. 28 May 2007. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. "Sikkim ex-CM Bhandari dies at Delhi hospital". Mourning Express. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
  9. "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1979 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1979. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  10. "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1985 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1985. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  11. "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1989 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1989. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  12. "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1994 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 1994. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  13. "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 2004 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  14. "STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 2009 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF SIKKIM". ECI. 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  15. "Statistical Report on General Elections, 1984 to the Eighth Lok Sabha" (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 201. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  16. "Statistical Report on General Elections, 1996 to the Eleventh Lok Sabha" (PDF). Election Commission of India. p. 385. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
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