Harsh Vardhan Shringla, former foreign secretary, who was pipped by sitting MP Raju Bista in the race for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha BJP ticket, conveyed his best wishes to Bista on Tuesday.

Bista's disgruntled party colleague and Kurseong MLA B.P. Sharma (Bajgain), however, met Bimal Gurung, the chief of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in Darjeeling. Bajgain does not consider Bista, hailing from Manipur, a son of the soil.

Kuresong BJP MLA BP Sharma (Bajgain) meets Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung (left) in Darjeeling on Tuesday

Bista came back from Delhi on Tuesday. Hundreds of BJP workers at Bagdogra airport gave him a rousing welcome.

“I convey my best wishes to Raju Bista. He has the experience of working in the constituency for the past five years,” said Shringla, adding that it was the “BJP that would deliver” in the region.

Till Sunday evening, suspense had built over the Darjeeling seat as names of both Bista and Shringla were making the rounds as the BJP nominee. Eventually, the party's central leadership chose Bista.

“It is an honour for me that the party has reposed faith on me for the second time to represent our party from the prestigious Darjeeling seat. It is because of the support of the people, the BJP leaders and workers that I have been given another opportunity to work for the development of this region,” said the MP.

On Tuesday, after his motorcade moved out of the Bagdogra airport area, he had to stop intermittently to meet and greet people on the road.

Sounding confident of his victory, Bista said that in the next five years, he would work to include 11 hill communities in the Scheduled Tribe category and provide land rights to residents dwelling in tea gardens, cinchona plantations and elsewhere.

“I will take the initiative to expedite infrastructural work like completion of NH717A (the alternative highway to Sikkim), the second bridge near Sevoke, an alternative highway to Darjeeling and the improvement of Bagdogra airport,” added Bista.

On Tuesday, Bajgain, the Kurseong BJP MLA, who had been asserting that he would contest as Independent as the saffron party had not fielded a “bhoomiputra", met Gurung.

Sharma went with Ajoy Edwards, the Hamro Party chief.

“Talks were held on a joint strategy for the Lok Sabha polls as Bajgain has said he will contest as an Independent. Bimal Gurung and Ajoy Edwards are maintaining a distance from the BJP. It will be interesting to see the further developments in hill politics,” said an observer.

On Sunday, as Bista’s name was announced, Neeraj Zimba, the Darjeeling BJP MLA, who had threatened to contest as Independent if Bista was not re-nominated, danced in joy. Unhappy Bajgain asserted he would contest as an Independent in protest.