Sikkim became the 22nd state of India by the 36th Amendment of the Indian Constitution in 1975. The Act provides that the Legislative Assembly of Sikkim shall consist of not less than thirty two members and that "the Assembly of Sikkim formed as a result of the elections held in Sikkim in April 1974 with 32 members elected in the said elections (hereinafter referred to as the sitting members) shall be deemed to be the legislative Assembly of the State of Sikkim duly constituted under the Constitution."
Sikkim is situated in the North East of India and has a geographical area of 7,096 square kilometres (2,740 sq mi) and a population of 6.1 lakhs. It was a tiny Himalayan kingdom, ruled by a hereditary monarchy for about 3 centuries from the 17 century CE to 1975. In 1950, the kingdom became a protectorate of the Government of India, and was vested with autonomy in its internal affairs while its defense, communications and external relations became the responsibility of India. The kingdom finally opted to become full-fledged state of the Indian Union with effect from 26 April 1975.
There are 32 members in the legislative assembly.[4] There are 12 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST). These scheduled tribes include ethnic tribes such as Bhutia, Lepcha (Sherpa), Limbu, Tamang and other Sikkimese Nepali Communities, as specified during the merger of the Kingdom of Sikkim (monarchy) into India. 2 seats reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC).[5] One seat (Sangha) is reserved for the Buddhist monastic community of Sikkim.[6]
