Darjeeling municipality councillors of Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) have started the process to convene an extraordinary meeting for a floor test in Darjeeling municipality after both the chairman and the vice-chairperson failed to convene the meeting.
Sources said that three BGPM councillors would issue a letter calling a special meeting for a floor test “within a day or two.”
“We submitted a letter to the chairman seeking a floor test on November 24. The chairman sat on the letter. We submitted another request to the vice-chairperson,” said the source.
The BGPM is seeking to topple the Hamro Party-led Darjeeling civic municipality.
Two days back, BGPM leaders got 16 Darjeeling municipality councillors together, including the six from Hamro Party who defected, to a common table.
“Now that we are sure of our strength, we will initiate a process to call a meeting. If the chairman and vice-chairperson fail to respond to our request for a floor test within three weeks, any three councillors can call for the meeting,” the source added.
On November 24, BGPM claimed that six Hamro Party councillors were defecting but produced five to accept their party flag at a meeting in Kurseong. They were Dipen Thakuri (ward 2), Bishnu Malla (ward 7), S Lama (ward 19), Ganesh Pradhan (ward 4) and Saran Chhetri (ward 13).
The BGPM claimed councillor Dorjee Lama (ward 6) was also with them but he was not visible publicly with the party.
“It was only during the recent meeting that Dorjee Lama was seen with other BGPM councillors,” the source added.
Lama’s consent is vital for the BGPM as without him the party won’t have the majority mark of 16.
The BGPM’s strength stands at 16 with support of two Trinamul councillors.
Hamro Party’s strength stands at 15 with the support of three of Bimal Gurung’s Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Hamro Party won the Darjeeling civic board within four months of its formaton.
The party claims that the BGPM, which is at the helm of the GTA, had engaged in horse-trading to try and wrest control of the civic body.
