The State Council of Sikkim existed since at least the late 19th century. It was an advisory and executive body, and was presided by the
Chogyal (King). After the
Independence of neighbouring India in August 1947, various political bodies in Sikkim began to demand greater say in the kingdom's administration. In 1952, the
Chogyal conceded and announced new constituencies, for an election in 1953. The
Chogyal agreed to have 12 (out of 18) seats on the council, be electable. The other six were appointed by the Chogyal. Under a parity formula agreed upon by the political groups, six of the electable seats were to be for the
Sikkim Nepalis and the other six for the
Bhutia-Lepcha (BL) people. There were four constituencies drawn up of the kingdom, and elections were to be held in 1953. initiated proceedings for the first election to the Council, in 1953|left|alt=A seated middle-aged man wearing round spectacles. Although the term of the Council was set as three years, the Chogyal decided to extend the term of the first Council, until 1958. Due to requests from the monastery associations, and other groups, the number of electable seats on the council was increased by two:
one for the
Sangha, to be voted on by the monks, and one seat that was not reserved for any particular group. They demanded that officials involved be arrested, but these demands were not met, leading to protests.
Final years (1974–75) was the last head of the Council. On 16 May 1975, he was sworn in as the first Chief Minister of the new Legislative Assembly of Sikkim.|alt=An old man wearing spectacles. In May 1974, the council passed the
Government of Sikkim Act, which provided for responsible government, and furthering relations with India. This was followed, in July, by them adopting a new constitution that provided for the country becoming a state of India. The Chogyal signed this constitution under pressure from the Indian government. On 8 September, the Chogyal cited "widespread Sikkimese misgivings over the bill", and called for a free and fair referendum. The
Sikkimese Students Association echoed his call for a referendum. In March 1975, the Sikkim National Congress repeated its calls for integration into India, while the Chogyal again called for a referendum. The next day, the Council passed a Bill, declaring the office of the Chogyal as abolished, and called for a referendum on this issue, which was scheduled to be held four days later. On 14 April, the
referendum took place, resulting in more than 97% of the votes in favor of abolishing the monarchy. On 26 April the Indian parliament passed the 36th amendment to the constitution, which transformed Sikkim from an Indian protectorate to a new state within the Indian union. was the last
Chogyal of Sikkim. He was deposed on 15 May 1975.|alt=A seated man with a pointed beard wearing silk upper garments. On 15 May, the
Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed ratified the constitutional amendment (
36th) that made Sikkim the 22nd state of India, and abolished the position of the Chogyal. The State Council was considered to be dissolved, and its members were deemed to be the new
Legislative Assembly of Sikkim. Following this,
B. B. Lal took charge as the Governor of the state on 16 May.
Electoral history ==Constituencies==