New Delhi: Smarting from his defeat in the Sikkim assembly elections, former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia announced on Tuesday his intention to quit politics for good.
Vice president of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Bhutia lost to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha’s Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia 4,346 votes in the Barfung seat.
Having joined politics in 2014, it was his sixth electoral defeat, which has made up his mind to step away, Bhutia said.
“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mr PS Tamang and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) for winning the assembly elections. The people of Sikkim have given them a resounding mandate and I hope the SKM govt will work to fulfil their promises and take Sikkim to greater heights across all sectors,” he said in a statement a copy of which is with News9 Sports.
“After the 2024 election results, I have had the realisation that electoral politics is simply not for me. I am therefore quitting all forms of electoral politics with immediate effect.”
Bhutia had contested for the Mamata Banerjee-led ruling Trinamool Congress in 2014 for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency but BJP won the seat.
He then contested unsuccessfully again for TMC at the 2016 West Bengal assembly elections in Siliguri but came second to CPI(M).
It forced the former striker to shift to his home state of Sikkim, where he launched his own party. For the Hamro Sikkim Party, he faced defeats at both the seats he contested at the 2019 Sikkim assembly elections.
His rotten luck followed at the by-election to the Gangtok assembly seat, held later that year. Bhutia was emotional in his letter, saying he wished he got a chance to fulfill the ideas he had for development of sports and tourism in Sikkim.
“…given a chance, I would have loved to implement and contribute to the growth of the state in a very honest and sincere way. Unfortunately it was not to be. I am certain there will be more people with better ideas to do so,” he said.
Bhutia had merged his Hamro Sikkim Party party with SKM before the assembly elections. He had also lost to BJP-backed Kalyan Chaubey for the president’s post at the AIFF elections in 2022.
Vice president of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), Bhutia lost to Sikkim Krantikari Morcha’s Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia 4,346 votes in the Barfung seat. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
