The Ajoy Edwards-led Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF) has started taking firm steps to foray in the plains of the Terai and the Dooars with an eye on the Bengal Assembly elections in 2026.
On Sunday, around 100 people joined the IGJF in Siliguri.
Hill parties such as the Gorkha National Liberation Front and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha have always been dominant in the hill region of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong. However, they traditionally never enjoyed strong support in the Terai that comprises the Siliguri sub-division and the Dooars — parts of Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts.
Edwards, the chief convener of the IGJF, however, told The Telegraph that the focus of his party was to form an umbrella organisation.
“We want to get the Adivasi, Rajbongshi and other other communities of the plains under one umbrella organisation called the Indian Janshakti Maha Manch. We want to contest the upcoming Bengal election under this banner in the plains,” said Edwards.
The IGJF leader, who is also an elected Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Sabha member, said that in his opinion hill parties had been faulty in their approach by only stressing on the Gorkhaland demand even in the plains where Gorkhas were not in a majority.
“There are many issues that unite the different communities of the plains, such as poor tea garden wages, lack of development, among others. We believe that the Gorkhas, the Rajbongshis are one of the most neglected communities in the country,” said Edwards.
The hill leader stressed that the effort is to increase their political currency in the Bengal Assembly.
“With just three MLAs from the hills, we have little political currency in a House of 294 MLAs,” said Edwards.
In the past, attempts by hill parties to spread their wings have not had much success.
The late Subash Ghisingh, who is still hailed as the tallest leader from the hills, tried hard to establish his party, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), in the plains but the efforts did not yield fruit.
Later, Bimal Gurung of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, who led the hill politics narrative, particularly of the demand for the state of Gorkhaland, from 2007 onwards also made a similar attempt. However, even that did not gain much traction in the plains.
A march by ex-serviceman in Siliguri on April 9, 2008, had led to clashes injuring many former soldiers.
Also, three persons lost their lives in police firing in Sipchu on February 8, 2011, on a padayatra held in support of the inclusion of the areas in the plains in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) by the Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Thousands of Morcha supporters walking from Darjeeling to the Dooars were stopped by the police at Sipchu on the Kalimpong-Jalpaiguri border.
Edwards, however, insisted that this time his party would want to collaborate with leaders from the plains rather than marching from the hills.
“Leaders of various communities of the plains have already started working with us,” said Edwards.