Gangtok, Mar 28: Sikkim’s main opposition parties, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) and Citizen Action Party (CAP), announced a boycott of the April 24 municipal elections, slamming the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) for creating an “undemocratic environment” through flawed seat reservations.

SDF senior vice president and spokesperson Krishna Kharel declared the elections “unconstitutional” during a press briefing on Friday. He highlighted “serious lapses” in seat allocations, which he said violate constitutional mandates for proportional representation based on population.

Kharel cited specific discrepancies: OBC (central list) communities, making up 25.64% of the population per the last census, should get 17-18 seats but received only eight. Similarly, OBC (state list) groups, at 21.89% of the population, warranted about 14 seats but got just 11.

“Reservations must align with population proportions, but these inconsistencies undermine fairness and equity,” Kharel said. He also criticized the process for ignoring demographic realities in key areas, where OBC-heavy wards were assigned to other categories.

Meanwhile, CAP spokesperson Albert Gurung announced the boycott on Thursday, accusing SKM of betraying its 2019 manifesto by running the polls on a “partisan basis.” CAP will back “qualified and capable” independent candidates across all 63 wards.

The dual boycott escalates tensions ahead of the urban local body polls in the Himalayan state.