Chamling was out to win the next assembly polls with money: Tshong

Gangtok , 1 February: Opposition parties have charged Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling with distributing money to the people to secure their votes in the upcoming assembly polls and asked the Election Commission to probe the matter.

"We have authentic information from people that the chief minister is distributing cash among the voters to extend their support to the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) in the forthcoming assembly polls in the state,"NCP state president Ashok ChongTshong told reporters here today.

He said Chamling has been visiting villages in person with only his trusted men where he distributed cash starting from Rs 20,000 to the villagers and seeking assurance from them that they would vote for the SDF.

Chong demanded immediate action by Election Commission to prevent Chamling, also SDF president from buying voters.

The NCP Chief said, as Chamling was out to win the next assembly polls with money power, free and fair polls were not not possible under the present dispensation.

The Centre should consider imposing President&aposs rule in the state till the assembly polls, he said.

Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee president and former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari echoed Chong&aposs accusation against Chamling, saying the Congress has drawn the attention of the EC and the Centre about the"brazen misuse"of official machinery and money power by the ruling SDF and demanded that assembly polls be conducted under President&aposs rule.

BJP state unit vice-president Padam Bahadur Chhetri, who earlier accused Chamling of holding dual nationality, claimed that the use of money power has been a common practice during the SDF rule.