Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
Guwahati: Bhaichung Bhutia, the iconic Indian footballer and vice-president of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), has announced his retirement from politics after yet another defeat in the recent Sikkim Assembly elections. This marks Bhutia’s sixth electoral defeat.
Revered as one of India’s greatest football players, Bhutia entered politics in 2014. He was initially nominated by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) as its candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat.
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Despite his high-profile candidacy, he lost to the BJP. Undeterred, Bhutia contested the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections from Siliguri constituency under the TMC banner, but was defeated again, this time by a CPI(M) candidate.
In 2018, in an attempt to make a direct impact in his home state, he founded the Khmer Sikkim Party. Despite his efforts, Bhutia faced two losses in the 2019 Sikkim Assembly elections and another defeat in the Gangtok Assembly in a by-election later that year.
His last electoral loss came when he contested the Barpong seat in the Sikkim Assembly elections, where he was defeated by SKM’s Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia by 4,346 votes. In his statement, Bhutia congratulated Sikkim Karntikari Morha (SKM) and its leader PS Tamang for their resounding victory.
He expressed hope that the SKM government would fulfill its promises and lead Sikkim to greater heights. Despite his political failures, Bhutia was always passionate about the development of sports and tourism in Sikkim.
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He lamented that he did not have the opportunity to implement his ideas for the growth of the country. He also expressed optimism that others would carry the vision for the development of Sikkim.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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