Six ad-hoc Sikkim teachers reached the seventh day of their hunger strike in Gangtok on September 8, 2021 while demanding either an extension of their service contracts or fresh interviews within this month without any delay.

According to The Telegraph, three of the teachers reported deteriorating health due to the continuing fast. However, they asserted they would continue the demonstration under the banner of New Ad hoc Teachers Association of Sikkim (NATAS) until their demands are met.

However, the Sikkim education department authorities, on Monday, refused the demands and asked the protesters to prepare for the re-interviews instead.

Speaking to EastMojo, Education Secretary G. P. Upadhaya said that the delay in interviews was due to on-going “interviews for head masters and assistant education officers”. He said that these interviews will be completed by September 30, when the ad-hoc teachers will be given priority treatment. Still, protesters have resolved to dig in their heels until their demands are met.

NATAS talks about delayed promises and interviews

In June, 860 teachers were terminated from service merely eight months after being recruited by the state education department. In response, the NATAS circulated a press release in mid-August that said, “We [Ad-hoc teachers] were initially told that the entire process would be completed by mid-July, and then by August 1. Now they are saying from October 3 onwards. This onward thing can go on and on.”

Members said that ad-hoc teachers have been going through the interview process since 2020 when over 800 teachers from various districts received orders after day-long interviews. Their six month work tenure was extended by another three months until June 2021.

On completing this period, teachers were asked to sit for re-interviews for the same post. This was in accordance with the state government’s “eight years regularisation” scheme that sought to bring all ad-hoc teachers under one umbrella. It allowed candidates to appear for one-time interviews following which, their contract will be extended on the basis of their performance report. After eight years, they will be regularised without facing another interview, provided they fulfill the NCTE criteria. The same rule will be applicable for ad-hoc teachers whose contract is to expire in 2022.

However, the delay in the re-interview has begun demoralising ad-hoc teachers, creating a discord with their parental department, the education department. It also affects students, who continue to struggle with online classes and shortage of teachers.

“We also make an appeal to all the school heads to remain concerned regarding this and brief the education department about the shortage of teachers in their respective schools and demand to meet up with the numbers of teachers needed as soon as possible,” said the NATAS.

Meanwhile, the Education Ministry stated on September 6 that it was stated that the ad-hoc teachers did not realise the benefits of the systemic change that the department is attempting.

“Big systemic changes take time and effort. This is a golden opportunity being created for ad-hoc teachers… It takes time and faces logistical issues. Ad-hoc teachers should participate in the district wise scrutiny to save time,” it said in a press release.

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Representation of Political Parties
A sharp increase in the number of political parties in Sikkim who contested elections between 2014 and 2015 is visible.(ADR). In the Sikkim Assembly Elections 2019, 9 political parties and independents were in the fray. These included 2 national political parties, 2 state political parties and 5 registered unrecognized parties. In comparison, during the 2014 Sikkim State Assembly elections, 5 political parties were in the fray. These included 2 national political parties, 2 state political parties and 1 registered unrecognized party.

Voter Turnout
The voter turnout for the Sikkim Assembly 2019 was 81% whereas voter turnout in 2014 assembly elections was 42%.

Vote Share of Winner 
The winners of the Sikkim State Assembly elections, 2019 won by an average of 52 % of total votes polled. In the 2014 elections, winners won by an average of 57% of total votes polled.        
 
Winners with highest vote share : 22 (69%) winners won with 50% and above of the total votes polled in their constituency. The top 3 winners who have attained the highest vote share during the Sikkim State Assembly Elections, 2019 are given below: 

Table: Winners with the highest vote share

Winners with Least Vote Share: 10(31%) winners won with less than 50% of the total votes polled in their constituency. The top 3 winners who have attained the least vote share during the Sikkim State Assembly Elections, 2019 are given below: 
 

 Table: Winners with least vote share
 
Party Wise Winners with Less than 50% of Vote Share: Out of 15 winner of Sikkim Democratic Front, 4(27%) won with less than 50 % of total votes polled in their constituencies and 6(35%) out of 17 winners from Sikkim Krantikari Morcha won with less than 50% of total votes polled in their constituency.

Representativeness of Winners
All the winners of the Sikkim State Assembly Elections, 2019 won with an average of 42% of the total registered voters. This implies that the winners represent on an average, 42% of the total electorate. In the Sikkim State Assembly Elections, 2014 won by an average of 24% of the total registered voters.

Party-wise Winners with less than 50% of Representativeness: Out of 15 winners of Sikkim Democratic Front, 13(87%) have won less than 50% of votes of the total registered voters in the constituency and all 17(100%) winners from Sikkim Krantikari Morcha have won less than 50 % of votes of the total registered voters in the constituency.

Margin of Victory for Winners
Winners with Least Margin of Victory : The details of top three winners with least margin of victory are given below:

Table: Winners with   Least Margin of Victory

Winners with Highest Margin of Victory: The details of the top three winners with the highest margin of victory are given below:

Table: Winners with Highest Margin of Victory 

Performance of Women Winners in Sikkim Assembly Elections, 2019

• Among the 32 winners,3 are women.
• Among the women winners, Raj Kumari Thapa (Sikkim Democratic Front) from Rangang-Yangang Constituency has won with the highest vote share, i.e. 53.47 % in her constituency and 13.27% of the margin of victory.

Performance of Re-elected Winners in Sikkim Assembly Elections, 2019

• Out of total 9 re-elected winners 7(78%) have won with a vote share of 50% and above. 

 
NOTA

• 5 re-elected winners have won with less than 10% of margin of victory whereas only 2 have won with more than 20% of the margin of victory. The NOTA button instated by the ECI in 2013 gave the voters an option of rejecting all the candidates in their constituency. The total number of votes polled for None-of-the-above option were 3039 votes during the Sikkim State Assembly Elections, 2019.

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