Darjeeling, March 20 :     The Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) swept the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council elections again, humbling its close challengers, the eight-party United Front and the CPM. Of the 28 seats in the council, the GNLF captured 23, the United Front two and GNLF-backed rebels three seats. Despite its aggressive campaign, the United Front managed to wrest just two seats ? Mirik Valley and Jaldhaka-Todaytangta ? from the GNLF. The CPM, which was most decimated by its breakaway faction, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) two-and-a-half-years ago, fared even worse by losing Bengdungra, its lone seat in the council. GNLF chief Subhas Ghising created history of sorts by winning Soureni-Panighata for the third time without visiting the constituency even once. With 9071 votes he also made all his opponents, including the CPM and the United Front, forfeit their security deposits. A beaming Ghising said: ?It is more than a landslide victory for us. It?s a vote for development. The polls have proved that the CPM does not exist here.? As the slogans of ?Jai Gorkha? and ?Jai Subhas? reverberated in the hills, he said: ?The United Front is also not a factor at all.? This is the third time the maverick GNLF leader has led his party to a sweeping victory in the council polls. In the earlier two polls held in 1988 and 1993, his party won 26 and 27 of the seats, respectively. Elections were held in 27 constituencies this time as the Lopchu-Peshok seat was won by a GNLF rebel Bhanu Lama (approved by Ghising) unopposed. ?The people have expressed their faith in the green flag. The rebels will rejoin the party,? Ghising said. He had earlier claimed that he allowed rebels to contest and use the green flag to settle disputes among various leaders for candidature. The GNLF leader, who had predicted the formation of a Gorkhaland state by next year before the polls, declined to comment on the statehood question. Of the two United Front candidates who shocked the GNLF were Basant Kumar Rai who unseated R.P. Waiba by 288 votes in Mirik Valley and Shankhmani Rai who dethroned Bharta Jairu in Jaldhaka-Todaytangta. Both belong to the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League which, along with the CPRM, the Congress, the Bharatiya Gorkha Janashakti, the CPI, the Trinamul Congress, the Bharatiya Nepali Bir Gorkha and the Sikkim Rashtriya Mukti Morcha, constitute the United Front. The Trinamul lost the Ghoom-Jorebunglow as well as the Tung-Sonanda seats. Besides the CPM, which drew a blank this time, the Forward Bloc and the CPI also suffered humiliating defeats in Kurseong and Kalimpong sub-divisions. Commenting on the results, CPRM general secretary and senior United Front leader R.B. Rai said: ?We cannot call it a bad defeat because our votes have gone up further. This also indicates that the GNLF cannot run the council aimlessly as it did in the past.? He claimed the GNLF faced tough opposition in several seats like Darjeeling-2, Kalimpong, Khasmahal, Tukuan-Singhamari and Ghoom-Jorebunglow. While in Tukuan-Singhamari, GNLF?s Rudra Pradhan won by just 48 votes, in Ghoom-Jorebunglow its candidate Gopimaya Gurung won by just 105. Among the notable losers were Gorkha National Women?s Organisation president Hema Lama (who lost to party rebel Rajen Dewan in Gadidhuka-Giddhapahar), Bharatiya Gorkha Janashkati general secretary Paldin Lama (who was defeated by his elder brother and GNLF candidate S.K. Lama in Rimbir) and sitting CPM member Tara Sundas who lost to GNLF?s Hangu Subba in Bengdungra. Some of Ghising?s close lieutenants like E.K. Pradhan, I.N. Pradhan and K.N. Subba won by huge margins in Kalimpong town, Tindharia-Sukna and Garubathan, respectively. The Gorkha League working president Hiten Sherpa lost in Manebhanjyang, while council vice-president Keshab Lama won the Teesta-Takdah seat. The GNLF?s Deepak Gurung won the Pokuriabong seat for the third time. Besides, rebel candidate T.N. Ghising (also approved by the party chief) defeated council chairman and official GNLF nominee Keshab Lama in Takdasi-Teesta. The party?s N.B. Pradhan won from Dhooterian-Rungbul.