[6][7] In 1973, according to observers, India perceived increasing hostility from the Chogyal and decided to back the democratic movements which called for "one man one vote".
[8] Following violent agitations in April 1973, India mediated between the political movements and Chogyal, and brought in a new system, whereby an equal number of seats would be reserved for Bhutia-Lepchas and Nepalis (15 each), but the electorate would function on a "one man one vote" principle.
Hem Lall Bhandari, founder of the Sikkim Student's Association in Darjeeling, who said "Would the people of India have forgone their independence for two seats in the British Parliament?"
Other Sikkimese nationalists arrested, tortured, and jailed by Indian authorities include Sherab Palden, Tejendra Rasaily, Kunga Topden, and Danny and Nadu Lepcha.
[25] Voters, already under an atmosphere of intimidation by Indian and pro-India forces, were reportedly not told that the referendum would mean the annexation of Sikkim by India or the abolition of the Chogyal.
The polling stations were manned by members of the CRP (Central Reserve Police) who ordered voters to cast their votes in the pink "approval" box.
[26] The results of the plebiscite were questioned by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray, who argued that "it took at least two days by jeep, the fastest mode of transport, to reach some of these inaccessible habitations, and it just would not have been physically possible to complete arrangements, hold the polls and count votes between 11 and 15 April.
[28][29] The U.S. government viewed the merging of Sikkim into India as a historic and practical inevitability, given the state's location on important trade routes.
[citation needed] In 1978, Gandhi's successor, Prime Minister Morarji Desai, expressed regret and criticised the annexation of Sikkim, which along with increasing inflation led to violent protests against him by youth wing of the Indian National Congress.
[30] While Desai said the annexation was "not a desirable step" and bemoaned the fact he could not undo it, he also claimed "most of the people there wanted it" due to the unpopularity of the Chogyal.
[31] After the declaration of the results, Sikkim's chief minister Kazi Lhendup Dorji cabled the results of the referendum to Indira Gandhi and asked her "to make an immediate response and accept the decision" to which she responded by saying that the Indian government would introduce a constitutional amendment in Parliament that would allow the kingdom to become part of India constitutionally.
[34] On 15 May 1975 Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed ratified a constitutional amendment that made Sikkim the 22nd state of India and abolished the position of the Chogyal.
"[38] Soon after the merger, The Emergency was declared by Indira Gandhi's government, and Indian officials in Sikkim used it as an opportunity to crack down on pro-independence forces, with figures such as Captain Sonam Yongda, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, and Ashok Kumar Subba being arrested and jailed at Berhampur in West Bengal, as well as stifling the general popular opinion in Sikkim.
[39] Nar Bahadur Khatiwada, Kazi's adopted son and a major figure in the Indian takeover, became one of the leaders of opposition to the merger after the Emergency had concluded, being a founder of the Sikkim Prajatantra Congress party.
[42] Hope Cooke the former Gyalmo (queen) of Sikkim, stated in her autobiography that she believed the 1978 death of the Chogyal's eldest son, Prince Tenzing, a popular figure and defiant Sikkimese nationalist, was orchestrated by India to weaken Sikkimese nationalism, noting that the prince was on a road built for one-way traffic when he was hit by a one-ton truck, and that there was no inquiry into the accident.
Wangchuk noted the outpouring of support as "a pretty obvious vindication of my father's stand and a direct denial of the popular Indian view that the king was an autocrat whom the people wanted to get rid of.