The BJP fielded fresh faces from the three hill constituencies, replacing its sitting GNLF MLA from Darjeeling with a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader for Bengal Assembly polls, at a time questions are being raised on BJP’s failure to address core issues of the region in the last decade.
The BJP announced Noman Rai, youth president of the Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, from Darjeeling, Bharat Chhetri, a former Indian hockey team captain from Kalimpong, and Sonam Lama, a BJP leader as its candidate from Kurseong.
In the last two Assembly elections, Neeraj Zimba, the GNLF leader, had successfully contested on a BJP ticket.
Zimba admitted that he was expecting a hattrick of wins but added that he was fine with the BJP’s decision.
“I was expecting a hattrick but that I have not been given a ticket is absolutely fine. We are with the BJP not for one election but for a larger cause,” said Zimba.
Questions are circulating as to how the Morcha and the GNLF, despite being BJP allies, are still rivals in hill politics.
“It is not for me to comment on alliance issues. But I am not upset about being denied a ticket,” added Zimba.
Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista, however, had a different take.
“If a GNLF leader had been nominated in the last two elections, a Morcha leader has been nominated this time. We look at our candidates as candidates of our coalition and not of a particular party,” explained Bista.
The BJP MP said that Olympian Chhetri was a neutral candidate. “Many in Kalimpong wanted a neutral face,” said Bista.
Chhetri expressed happiness over the nomination but added that he could not comment immediately on his new role as he “was in a meeting”.
The Bimal Gurung faction, however, sounded elated.
“Apart from Noman in Darjeeling, our candidate Lakshman Limbu has also got a ticket from Madarihat. Sonam Lama was with us (the Morcha) during our early days and Bharat Chhetri is a neutral face,” said Roshan Giri, general secretary of Morcha.
Ajoy Edwards, the chief convener, the Indian Gorkha Janshakti Front (IGJF), said that the BJP tickets proved that only the IGJF was looking to "strengthen regionalism".
“We are clear that we want to remain aloof from both Trinamool and the BJP, and work towards strengthening regionalism,” said Edwards.
The Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) is also focusing on “regionalism” after having fielded its candidates in the three hill seats.
Trinamool decided not to field any candidate in the hills because of its understanding with Thapa’s party.
Bista, however, said Trinamool had not fielded candidates from the hills as it knew its candidates would be defeated.
“Let Mamata Banerjee or Abhishek Banerjee contest from the hills, I will easily defeat them. Trinamool has not left hill seats in the interests of regionalism. The decision was taken as they are confident that they will lose from the hills,” said Bista.
In the last Assembly election, the BJP had won from Darjeeling and Kurseong while the BGPM won the Kalimpong seat.
The BJP has been winning the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency — under which the Assembly segments of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong fall — since 2009. But the party's failure to provide a “permanent political solution” and grant tribal status to 11 hill communities has become a talking point in hill politics.