Bhaichung Bhutia, the former Indian football captain and Vice-President of the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), has decided to step away from politics.
This move comes after his defeat in the recent assembly elections in Sikkim.
Bhutia, who had joined politics in 2014, faced his sixth electoral loss when he was defeated in the Barfung seat by SKM’s Rikshal Dorjee Bhutia.
Despite his passion for serving the people of Sikkim, Bhutia expressed that he would like to focus on contributing to the development of sports and tourism in the state. His dedication to doing good for the people and the nation has been at the core of his political aspirations.
“Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mr PS Tamang and the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) for winning the assembly elections. The people of Sikkim have given them a resounding mandate and I hope the SKM govt will work to fulfil their promises and take Sikkim to greater heights across all sectors,” he said in a statement.
“After the 2024 election results, I have had the realisation that electoral politics is simply not for me. I am therefore quitting all forms of electoral politics with immediate effect,” he added.
“…given a chance, I would have loved to implement and contribute to the growth of the state in a very honest and sincere way,” he said. “Unfortunately it was not to be. I am certain there will be more people with better ideas to do so,” he said.