Krishna
Kumari Rai
Year 2024 echoes far beyond the 24 hours she spent as an MLA
Twenty-four hours.
That was
how long the term of political debutant MLA Krishna Kumari Rai lasted as a
newly-elected MLA from Namchi-Singhithang constituency.
All the twelve months.
That is
how long the name Krishna Kumari Rai echoed across Sikkim’s political, social,
and media landscapes in 2024.
Year 2024
– an Election Year - saw Krishna Kumari Rai, the spouse of Chief Minister PS
Golay, taking active plunge in electoral politics, capturing attention of both
the media and the Sikkimey Janata. Her
landslide electoral win, momentous oath-taking as a MLA, and astonishing
resignation – all in a period of six months – crystallized to make her a
prominent newsmaker in Sikkim this year.
Though a
first-timer, SKM candidate Krishna Kumari Rai cruised to a comprehensive
victory from Namchi-Singhithang constituency, pushing the SKM’s overall tally
to 31 seats during the 2024 Assembly elections held earlier this year in April.
She defeated her nearest rival by a margin of 5,302 votes despite
Namchi-Singhithang being a traditional bastion of opposition SDF.
Krishna
Kumari took oath as the Namchi-Singhithang MLA in the Sikkim Legislative
Assembly on June 12 along with other newly-elected MLAs. A day later, she
stunned entire Sikkim by resigning as the Namchi-Singhithang legislator,
triggering endless speculations and discussions across Sikkim.
In her
message, Krishna Kumari extended her heartfelt gratitude to all for their
unwavering support. I have always viewed politics as a social activity, and the
reason I entered the election was because I had to honour the decisions made by
the SKM parliamentary board and the party president, she said.
The ruling
SKM maintained that Krishna Kumari had, at the request of the parliamentary
committee of the SKM party, contested in the elections for the party’s welfare.
She was fielded from Namchi-Singhithang considering that she was doing social
work there for a long time.
In her
message, Krishna Kumari expressed her gratitude to all for their unwavering
support. “Together, we have achieved much, and together, we will achieve even
more. Though I step down from my official role, my dedication to our shared
dreams and aspirations remain steadfast,” she said.
The
post-election months saw Krishna Kumari maintaining her political life with her
presence in key political programmes of the ruling SKM, including the recent 16th
Rholu Diwas. But she mostly kept her
engagements in social work, reaching out to the people across the State while
also devoting her time in spiritual engagements.
Krishna
Kumari Rai has always been a committed social worker. Much before her fate
connected her to politics, she, as a teacher, was absorbed in doing what she
loved - helping those in need. Her colleagues from her teaching years and her
students recount how she used to buy blankets from her salary and distribute
them to the elderly people around Jorethang. She often used to visit the houses
of her students whom she found needed financial assistance, and provided
whatever assistance she could from her salary to some students of Jorethang and
Legship.
Krishna
Kumari has said on a couple of occasions that the SKM’s electoral victory in
2019 and her becoming the spouse of the Chief Minister enabled her to continue
her social service on a much larger scale. When she opted for voluntary
retirement, she said that she wished to commit more time for social service.
There are countless instances where she has inspired the Sikkimese people with
her genuine concern for the needy. On one occasion in 2022, she gave her
assurance to help a differently-abled person of Sikkim who had asked for
assistance in a comment on Facebook. She replied to the comment and
subsequently provided the help.
Political
observers in Sikkim have also commented much about another trait of Krishna
Kumari Rai - her self-restrained nature. Many have linked it to her spiritual
engagements. They have observed that despite the fact that the previous
government subjected her to brutal harassment in 2012 through the Vigilance
department in what is alleged as vendetta politics, she has never spoken a word
about getting even with her harassers. This has perplexed political observers,
leading them to appreciate her forgiving nature which is a rarity, and more so
in politics.
Presently,
Krishna Kumari Rai is spearheading ‘Spiritual Empowerment for a Clean and
Healthy Society’ in Sikkim in collaboration with the Brahma Kumaris with the
objective of instilling positivity in Sikkimese society as well as infusing spiritual
virtues in Sikkim’s policymaking. She is at the forefront of coordinating
efforts to support Sikkimese local artists competing in various competitions in
the country and abroad. She has also displayed her keen interest in the
preservation of culture and traditions of the Sikkimese communities. She
chaired the State-level Teej celebrations in 2024 and her efforts turned this
festival into one celebrated by womenfolk from every Sikkimese community unlike
how the festival used to be celebrated previously by few communities.
To sum up, Krishna Kumari Rai’s social
engagements and outreach activities throughout the Year 2024 echoes far beyond
the 24 hours she spent as an MLA.
