Laying to rest speculations regarding TMC Rajya Sabha candidates, party chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced the names of five candidates for the Rajha Sabha. Veteran Hill politician Shanta Chettri from Kurseong becomes the first TMC Hill face in Parliament by securing a berth.
Banerjee wrote in a social network site on Sunday afternoon: "The following are All India Trinamool Congress candidates for forthcoming Rajya Sabha election: Derek O'Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Dola Sen, Dr Manas Bhunia, Smt Shanta Chhetri (Kurseong, Darjeeling.) My best wishes to all of them. Salute to Ma, Mati, Manush." As the news reached the Hills, the TMC camp broke out into celebration mode. The Kurseong unit of the TMC will be taking out a rally in Kurseong on Monday. "We are very happy that a Gorkha's daughter has been nominated as a Rajya Sabha member from the TMC. We thank our party chief Mamata Banerjee for this. As she is a veteran leader from the Hills she is aware of the problems and issues connected with the Hills," stated Rajen Mukhia, president, TMC, Darjeeling District (Hills.)
"I am honoured with the responsibility that our president has entrusted upon me and I will try my best to live up to her expectations. This also shows Mamata Banerjee's love for the Hills and its people. I will work for the development of the region," stated Shanta Chettri talking to Millennium Post. The Hill leader started her political career with the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) in 1994 when she was given the party ticket to contest municipal elections from Kurseong. She was a part time teacher at the Kurseong College then. She continued as a Councillor till 1996 when she won as an MLA from the Kurseong Assembly constituency as a GNLF candidate. For three terms she was the MLA from Kurseong. However, things changed with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha coming to power in the end of 2007 ousting Subash Ghising and the GNLF from the Hills. In December, 2007, she had to leave her family and settle in the plains. In January, 2010, she returned to Kurseong to visit her ailing husband. On February 18, 2010 her house was torched. On February 26, her husband passed away and she was forced to leave the Hills.
With the end of her term as MLA in April 2011 she returned to Kurseong. On February 22, 2014 she joined the TMC. She, however, lost the recent civic polls as a TMC candidate from Kurseong. At present, the 59-year-old serves in the capacity of TMC working president, Darjeeling District (Hills.) She is also the chairperson of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the Darjeeling District Hospital and a member of the North Bengal Development Council. Political pundits claim that it is a calculated move by the TMC chief coming on the heels of the recent victory of the party in the civic polls in Mirik. Banerjee in earlier visits to the Hills used to say that despite having no public representative including Municipal Councillors, GTA members, MLAs and MPs, the TMC has been carrying out development activities there. Now, the TMC has Municipal Councillors as well as an MP. It also helps her score over the GJM. The Morcha-backed BJP candidate S S Ahluwalia won the last Lok Sabha polls whereas Mamata Banerjee nominated a Hill resident to the Rajya Sabha.