Former deputy chief minister of Sikkim PT Lucksom has passed away after contracting COVID-19 virus. Lucksom breathed his last at the STNM Hospital in Gangtok on Thursday evening.

PT Lucksom was 68 years old at the time of his demise.He had served as a deputy chief minister between 1994-97 in the then Pawan Chamling-led SDF government.PT Lucksom had won from the Rinchenpong constituency in Sikkim in 1994.

However, he had contested from the constituency unsuccessfully for four more time.In 2014, Luksom had last contested the Sikkim assembly elections on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) ticket.Since 2018, PT Lucksom had been serving as an advisor to the ruling SKM party.

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Meanwhile, the Sikkim government has announced three-day state mourning over the demise of PT Lucksom.

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Former Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling said: “PT Lucksom was one of the senior-most leaders in Sikkim politics. He joined the SDF party in the initial stage of our growth as an opposition party. He laboured together with us to restore democracy. During our movement, he was arrested by the Sikkim Police and was jailed.

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He became the first and the only Deputy Chief Minister of Sikkim during the first term of the SDF government. His contribution to Sikkim and the Sikkimese people will be remembered forever. His passing away has incurred an irreparable loss to Sikkim. I pay my hearty tribute to him for all his goodwill and contribution to the building up of Sikkim.”