Gangtok (PTI): Causing worry to the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), the apolitical Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) on Thursday said its supporters will vote for only such parties which promise to scrap the hydel projects in Sikkim.

"It has been made very clear to our supporters to vote for only those political parties extending support to its demand for the roll back of the hydel projects in Sikkim," ACT General Secretary Dawa Lepcha told PTI here.

The hydel projects are a serious public issue on which all parties contesting the assembly and parliamentary polls in Sikkim must take a stand as the commissioned and proposed hydel projects, 27 in all, posed a major threat to the fragile ecology and environment of the state, he said.

The ACT will closely monitor the stand of the contending parties as to how they proposed to deal with the hydel projects issue in the run up to the polls and its supporters will accordingly decide to cast their votes in favour of a party only if it appears to be sincere to the outfit's cause.

Among parties, the Congress has come up with a firm commitment to scrap all hydel projects if elected to power.

"The election of the Congress government in Sikkim will bring misfortune to the power developers," former Chief Minister and Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) President Nar Bahadur Bhandari had said at an election meeting at Mangan in North Sikkim - the hub of hydel projects.

The ruling SDF of Chamling has been a strong proponent of hydel projects saying that with an investment of over Rs.

30,000 crore, these projects will prove to be a boon to the economy and end the problem of unemployment in the state.

The ACT does not have a presence in either North Sikkim or with the Lepcha people, the ruling party leaders said ignoring the former's warning.

With an estimated 5000 supporters, mostly among the Lepcha people, the ACT may dent the ruling party's prospects in the three assembly constituencies in North Sikkim and in all 12 assembly seats reserved for the Bhutia-Lepcha people in Sikkim.

Having publicly adopted a strident posture in public in favour of the hydel projects, a wary top SDF leadership has been wooing the ACT leaders by promising to develop North Sikkim for the benefit of the Lepcha people.