| Party Name: | Sikkim Janata Party |
| Colorcode: |
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| Founder: | Lal Bahadur Basnet |
| Foundation: | 1969 |
| Dissolution: | 1972 |
| Merged: | Sikkim Janata Congress |
Sikkim Janata Party was a political party in Sikkim. The party was founded in Gangtok on December 18, 1969 founded by Lal Bahadur Basnet.[1] [2] The party was formed after a split in the Sikkim National Congress.[3] Basnet, a well-known journalist and former general secretary of the Sikkim National Congress, served as the president of the party.[4] [5] K.C. Pradhan was the general secretary of the party.
Ideologically the party was committed to socialism, democracy and the unity of the Sikkimese people.[2] [6] The party was active in the struggle for democratic reforms.[7] It demanded Sikkim adopt a written constitution.[3]
The party was mainly supported by Nepali community.[8] The party suffered from weak organization and lack of financial backing.[6] The party contested four seats in the fourth general election of 1970.[9] Basnet had himself contested two seats in the election.[8] Compared to other opposition parties, the Sikkim Janata Party took more radical postures.[1] 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).[10] The party condemned the 1950 treaty as a 'slander on Sikkim'.[11]
Karma Lama of the Sikkim Janata Party contested the Sangha seat, finishing in second place with 46 votes (10.31%).[12]
Following the election, in which the party failed to win any seats, Basnet resigned from the party presidency and left the party.[13] Another key leader of the party, B.B. Gurung, also renounced his membership.[14] After these departures, K.C. Pradhan became the main leader of the party.[15]
On August 15, 1972 SJP reached an agreement with the Sikkim State Congress to merge the two parties.[1] [15] The merger was completed on October 26, 1972, with the formation of the Sikkim Janata Congress.[1]