General elections were held in Sikkim in 1958. The Sikkim State Congress emerged as the largest party, winning seven of the 20 seats. Voter turnout was around 35%.
Electoral system
The State Council had established in 1953 by the Chogyal. It originally had 18 members, of which 12 were elected and six (including the President) appointed by the Chogyal. Of the 12 elected members, six were for the Nepali community and six for the Lepcha and the Bhutia communities. For the 1958 elections the number of seats was increased to 20. One seat for the Sangha was added, together with an additional appointed member.
Candidates for election to the Council had to be at least 30 years old, whilst the voting age was set at 21. Around 55,000 voters registered for the election.