After serving Sikkim as chief minister for over 24 years, Pawan Kumar Chamling on Saturday said he respects the mandate of the people and is ready to discharge the role of an opposition leader. Mr Chamling was the Chief Minister since December 1994. His party, the Sikkim Democratic Front, has been defeated by the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) in the recently held assembly election.

Pawan Chamling on Sunday will create history by surpassing the record of a former communist ruler of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu, as the longest-serving chief minister in the country. Chamling, 68, touched Basu's record on Saturday and wrote a long post on his Facebook page. Chamling became the chief minister of Sikkim on December 12, 1994.