IGJF entry sets stage for triangular contest in hills amid BJP infighting

Darjeeling: Battle lines were redrawn in the hills with the Indian Gorkha Jansakti Front’s (IGJF) decision to join the fray in the forthcoming Assembly election. With this, the Hills of North Bengal are poised for a triangular fight.

Late in the evening on Friday, Ajoy Edwards, the IGJF convenor, announced: “We will definitely contest this election. This election is a major responsibility for us. We have to make careful decisions. The candidate list of the other camps is disheartening—not a single female candidate. We could not see any traits of regionalism in their moves.” He stated that the IGJF team was carefully preparing the candidate list. “We will field the best of the best candidates,” assured Edwards before signing off. Incidentally, the IGJF has been giving a call for a third front sans TMC and BJP. The CPI(M) in the Darjeeling hills is towing the same line.

Meanwhile, in this Assembly election, the BJP seems to have sailed into choppy waters, facing flak from both its rank and file along with alliance partners over the choice of candidates. A large section of BJP leaders from the hills have even threatened to resign if the BJP does not ‘rethink’ its candidate list.

Despite not having a strong organisational base in the hills, the BJP has been performing well in every election since 2009, using alliance partners as strong props coupled with assurances of a solution to the decades-old Gorkha political impasse. However, with assurances not translating into action, questions are being raised on the BJP’s payback to the Hills in lieu of the constant electoral gains.

Multiple pocket meetings were reportedly held by disgruntled BJP leaders on Friday. BJP state committee member and veteran leader from the hills, Manoj Dewan, stated: “We have given an ultimatum to the party to rethink the candidate list. If not, we will hand in mass resignation.” Dewan claims that the candidate list has been drawn up unilaterally by Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista, keeping the state and national BJP leadership in the dark.

“He did not consult Mandal, block or district committees and instead hatched a conspiracy for his personal benefit. He suppressed the list drawn up by the Hill BJP leadership. If these candidates are in the fray, the party will not perform well,” prophesied Dewan. The BJP on Thursday had announced Noman Rai, president of the youth wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, as the candidate from Darjeeling. In Kurseong, they have fielded Sonam Lama and in Kalimpong, former captain of the Indian hockey team Bharat Chettri.

“In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, our party president RB Rai had withdrawn his candidature in favour of the BJP. It was a major sacrifice.

This time, Raju Bista drew up the list without even consulting us,” stated Shekhar Chettri of the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist, an ally of the BJP. Echoing similar sentiments, Y Lama, GNLF spokesperson, stated: “They did not honour the sitting MLA from our party also.”