GANGTOK,: “Manch wants to form the government, as without forming the government and without political intervention we will not be able to make the transformation that Sikkim needs. This time, we could only contest for three seats i.e. Tadong, Melli and Yangthang, but we promise that in the 2029 election, we will contest for all the 32 seats,” expressed Manch’s Tadong candidate Kailash Pradhan to SIKKIM EXPRESS.
Kailash Pradhan is contesting from Tadong constituency as an independent candidate.
Manch, formed a year ago, is a grassroots political movement that aims to install a bottom-up political and governance structure that distributes power evenly and safeguards the rights of ordinary people.
“This is my second time in electoral politics. The first time, I contested in the Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC) elections for the ward councillor’s post. Since the GMC elections, the campaigning pattern has definitely changed. GMC election was in a smaller scope as there was no party politics. This time, I am contesting as an independent candidate against the big boys from political parties like BJP, SKM and SDF.”
“As an architect, I have been thinking about Gangtok and its problems and I want to see what I can bring to the table. I have had a lot of time to think and now I have been able to talk about those problems tangibly and bring out solutions. For the GMC election, it wasn’t my intention to contest, but my friends encouraged and supported me. I had a big team then, but this time, although I have a team, I have been campaigning alone,” expressed Pradhan.
Regarding his contenders, Kailash expressed that incumbent Tadong MLA GT Dhungel is part of the SKM party and there is an influence of party politics. “We have a problem with the way politics is played in Sikkim, especially party politics. GT Dhungel and SDF candidate CB Chettri are good candidates, but cult leadership exists. At the end of the day, SKM leader PS Golay and SDF leader Pawan Chamling’s words are the final words. Manch believes in collective leadership,” he added.
Pradhan further expressed that the role of money in politics is also one of the major concerns.
“Both SDF and SKM spend a lot of money during the elections. For us, that is the beginning of corruption. I don’t want to allege corruption allegations against anyone but there is a shadow of corruption in both parties. It has to be clean politics, and the Manch is fighting the battle in a different way, by spending less money and relying on volunteers and social media. I know I have strong contenders, but I believe the fight is not personal but based on principles. SDF and SKM both lack long-term genuine vision,” he said.
It was shared that Manch is based in four principles - political leadership, development model, administrative reform and community building.
The Manch candidate expressed that the campaigning is like ‘preaching to the choir’, i.e. the people who already resonate with you, especially the educated youth who feel strongly about Manch. He added that it has been difficult for Manch to get to the people who are economically weaker, as money is being thrown away during the election. “All solutions are long term but people can't resist when they are given favourables. But we are hoping people will look for long term solutions. This election may not show the result we desire, but we have put in a lot of effort. Do vote for us because we believe there is no substitute for good people and we urge the public to vote for the person who can bring a bright future for Sikkim,” Pradhan appealed.