Sikkim: Former CM, Nar Bahadur Bhandari turns 76 today!

Former Chief Minister of Sikkim, Nar Bahadur Bhandari turns 76 today and here are the 15 Interesting facts about him.

1. Nar Bahadur Bhandari is a prominent politician and a former chief minister of the state of Sikkim in India who governed the state from 1979 to 1994. He was the founder leader of Sikkim Sangram Parishad party.

2. Nar Bahadur Bhandari was born on 5th October 1940 in Malbasey village, near Soreng, West Sikkim. He is the son of Balaram Bhandari.

3. His wife Dil Kumari Bhandari is the former Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) from Sikkim.

4. He had his early education at Soreng and Namchi Government school.  He completed his BA degree from Darjeeling Government College and joined a Government service as a  school teacher in Soreng school and later served in few other schools viz Chakung School, Rongli Junior High School, Namchi Senior Secondary School and finally at West Point School, Gangtok, before joining politics in Sikkim.

5. Nar Bahadur Bhandari began his career in politics in Darjeeling in 1967 by joining Tarun Sangha. He was appointed as the General Secretary of the party in 1967. However, after spending few years in Politics in Darjeeling, Bhandari returned back to his native place in Soreng and joined the Government service and started teaching.

6. In 1973, Bhandari resigned from his job and joined Sikkimese Pro-Democracy movement. Sikkim was then an independent sovereign kingdom headed by Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal. In 1974, Bhandari formed Sikkim United Independent Front Party. The party contested the first State General Elections held under the last King of Sikkim, Late Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal.

7. Nar Bahadur Bhandari formed the Sikkim Janta Parishad in October 1977. Under his leadership, the party won 16 seats in the general elections of 1979 and became the second Chief Minister of Sikkim on 18th October 1979.

8. Bhandari was the first Gorkha to ever hold the office of a Chief Minister in the history of Indian Polity. He took the oath as the Chief Minister of Sikkim on 18th of October, 1979.

9. In 1984, Bhandari dissolved the Sikkim Janata Parishad and formed a new party called Sikkim Sangram Parishad. The party thereby contested the assembly elections in 1985 and won 30 out of 32 seats, and Bhandari became the chief minister for the second time.

10. In 1984, he also served briefly as Member of Parliament from Sikkim constituency in the 8th Lok Sabha as an independent candidate.

11. In 1989, the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP), led by Nar Bahadur Bhandari, won all seats in the fourth Assembly and returned to power thus becoming the Chief Minister for the third time.

12. In May 1994, Bhandari lost the vote of confidence in the state assembly and he resigned as chief minister.1994 to 2000 saw Bhandari spend his political career in the opposition bench as Sikkim Democratic Front and its President Pawan Chamling prevailed in Sikkimese Politics. Bhandari contested the State Assembly elections from Soreng for the fourth and the last time in 1995. He later also contested from Rehnock Constituency.

13. Nar Bahadur Bhandari became the president of the Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) in the year 2003 after he had merged his party Sikkim Sangram Parishad with the Indian National Congress. He held a post of President, until 20th April 2013.

14. In May 2013, he was reinstated as the president of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad on 29th foundation day of the party.

15. Nar Bahadur Bhandari shared stage along with the  Gorkha leader Subash Ghising and became the de-facto Gorkha leader of Gorkhas at a National Level and in 1990, he formed Bharatiya Nepali Rashtriya Parishad for the Nepali Language Movement. In 1992, the Nepali Language was incorporated in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution through the 71st Amendment Act.

Source: TNT Desk with inputs from History, Culture and Culture of Sikkim by JR Subba, Archives Gorkhapedia internet