Pawan Chamling is Sikkim CM for 5th time

Gangtok: Pawan Chamling was on Wednesday sworn in as Sikkim Chief Minister for the record fifth consecutive time.

Governor Shriniwas Patil administered the oath of office to Mr Chamling and 11 ministers at a function in Raj Bhawan. In power since December 12, 1994, the 63-year-old Mr Chamling has already completed two uninterrupted decades as the CM of the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom which had merged with India in 1975.

After being sworn in for the fifth consecutive time, he is on his way to break the late Communist patriarch Jyoti Basu’s record of being India’s longest serving CM. Basu had ruled West Bengal for 23 years from 1977 till 2000.