| Ram Chandra Poudyal | |
| Office: | President of Rising Sun Party |
| Term Start: | 1989 |
| Term End: | 1990 |
| Office1: | President of SC(R) |
| Term Start1: | 1979 |
| Term End1: | 1981 |
| Office2: | Member of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly |
| Constituency2: | Loosing-Pachekhani |
| Term Start2: | 1975 |
| Term End2: | 1979 |
| Predecessor2: | New constituency |
| Successor2: | Jagat Bandhu Pradhan |
| Office3: | 1st Deputy Speaker of the Sikkim Legislative Assembly |
| Term Start3: | 1975 |
| Term End3: | 1977 |
| Successor3: | Kalzang Gyatso |
| Office4: | Member of the Sikkim State Council |
| Constituency4: | Loosing-Pachekhani |
| Term Start4: | 1974 |
| Term End4: | 1975 |
| Predecessor4: | New constituency |
| Birth Place: | Chhota Singtam, Kingdom of Sikkim |
| Party: | Rising Sun Party |
| Otherparty: | Sikkim National Congress,Sikkim Congress (Revolutionary) |
| Nationality: | n Sikkimese (until 1975) |
Ram Chandra Poudyal (1944–2024),[1] commonly known as R.C. Poudyal, was an Indian politician from the state of Sikkim. He has played a significant role in the state's political landscape, particularly in the context of Sikkim's integration into the Indian Union and the subsequent constitutional and legal developments. He was best known for founding and leading the Rising Sun Party (RSP), a political party active in the late 1980s.[2]
He completed his schooling at Sir Tashi Namgyal Academy in Gangtok, Sikkim. For higher education, he attended Scottish Church College in Kolkata, West Bengal, where he pursued his degree in law.
Poudyal is perhaps best known for the landmark case R.C. Poudyal vs. Union of India (1993), where he challenged the reservation policies in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly. He argued that the disproportionate reservation of seats for the Bhutia-Lepcha community was discriminatory and violated the principles of fair representation under the Indian Constitution. The Supreme Court, however, upheld the reservations, emphasizing the unique historical and cultural context of Sikkim.[3]
As per newspaper reports on July 18 2024: his body was found floating in the teesta in bangladesh on July 16 tuesday, nine days after he was reported missing from his hometown in sikkim's chhota singtam. SIT is probing into this matter.
| Year | Constituency | Colspan=2 | Political Party | Result | Position | Votes | % Votes | % Margin | Deposit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Loosing-Pachekhani | colspan='6' | - |
| Year | Constituency | Political Party | Result | Position | Votes | % Votes | % Margin | Deposit | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Loosing Pachekhani | 2nd | 845 | 31.46 | ||||||
| 1989 | 2nd | 1566 | 42.16 | |||||||
| Barmiok | 2nd | 1001 | 26.42 | |||||||
| 1994 | Loosing Pachekhani | 3rd | 1378 | 28.81 | ||||||