Sikkim Janata Party

Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Indian Political Party Sikkim Janata Party was a political party in Sikkim. The party was founded in Gangtok on 18 December 1969 founded by Lal Bahadur Basnet.<ref name="Shukla1976">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="R.M. Lala1969">Template:Cite book</ref> The party was formed after a split in the Sikkim National Congress.<ref name="Sengupta1985">Template:Cite book</ref> Basnet, a well-known journalist and former general secretary of the Sikkim National Congress, served as the president of the party.<ref name="Bareh2001"/><ref name="Basnet1974">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Regmi Research Project1971">Template:Cite bookTemplate:Failed verification</ref> K.C. Pradhan was the general secretary of the party.<ref name="Bareh2001"/>

Ideologically the party was committed to socialism, democracy and the unity of the Sikkimese people.<ref name="Bareh2001"/><ref name="R.M. Lala1969"/><ref name="Sinha1975">Template:Cite book</ref> The party was active in the struggle for democratic reforms.<ref name="Bhattacharya1992">Template:Cite book</ref> It demanded Sikkim adopt a written constitution.<ref name="Sengupta1985"/>

The party was mainly supported by Nepali community.<ref name="Bareh2001">Template:Cite book</ref> The party suffered from weak organization and lack of financial backing.<ref name="Sinha1975"/> The party contested four seats in the fourth general election of 1970.<ref name="RahmanVerma2006">Template:Cite book</ref> Basnet had himself contested two seats in the election.<ref name="Bareh2001"/> Compared to other opposition parties, the Sikkim Janata Party took more radical postures.<ref name="Shukla1976"/> During the election campaign the party called for revision of the 1950 India-Sikkim Peace Treaty, calling for greater autonomy for Sikkim (positions shared with the Sikkim National Congress and the Sikkim State Congress).<ref name="Kazi2020">Template:Cite book</ref> The party condemned the 1950 treaty as a 'slander on Sikkim'.<ref name="Far Eastern Economic Review Limited1971">Template:Cite book</ref>

Karma Lama of the Sikkim Janata Party contested the Sangha seat, finishing in second place with 46 votes (10.31%).<ref name="Sikkim Publicity Department1970">Template:Cite book</ref>

Following the election, in which the party failed to win any seats, Basnet resigned from the party presidency and left the party.<ref name="Grover1974">Template:Cite book</ref> Another key leader of the party, B.B. Gurung, also renounced his membership.<ref name="Chatterjee1970">Template:Cite book</ref> After these departures, K.C. Pradhan became the main leader of the party.<ref name="The Institute1972">Template:Cite book</ref>

On 15 August 1972 SJP reached an agreement with the Sikkim State Congress to merge the two parties.<ref name="Shukla1976"/><ref name="The Institute1972"/> The merger was completed on 26 October 1972, with the formation of the Sikkim Janata Congress.<ref name="Shukla1976"/>