Tashi Topgyal declares his candidacy for 2021 Sikyong election

DHARAMSALA, 10 Sept: Tashi Topgyal on Wednesday announced that he will run for the 2021 Sikyong(President) election of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, officially known as Central Tibetan Administration(CTA).

“The opportunity should be given to a visionary like me rather than to an educated candidate,” Tashi Topgyal said as he announced his candidacy through Facebook live on Wednesday evening.

” Those who grew up in the grand cities of US and the likes can only see the problems faced by the public but can’t resolve it,” he said and added “I am a commoner just like every one of you. So vote for me to form our government.” 

Taking a jibe at the incumbent Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay and his predecessor Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, he added two decades slipped by with the public placing high hopes over the highly educated duo.

Further, if elected to power, he declared to approach others running for the 2021 Sikyong to form the Kashag (Cabinet) to work collectively.

Topgyal said that “though some may say that I am uneducated and question my credibility to run for Sikyong, no education qualification is required to run for the office.”

He asked, “What did Samdhong Rinpoche and Lobsang Sangay accomplish with their education during their tenure?” 

Though the Tibetan Election Commission declared open 2021 Sikyong and members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on 5 August and expressed its commitment to conduct elections “as per the stipulated time period, despite the current challenges precipitated by the COVID-19 crisis,” it is yet to set the poll dates. 

Tashi Topgyal lives in Shillong, Meghalaya and has formerly served in the Indian Army’s Special Frontier Force (SSF).