Anit Thapa was on Friday elected the “acting president” of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha faction that had been headed by Binay Tamang who had resigned from the party a day earlier.

Thapa seemed to have tightened his grip on the faction where majority of central committee members backed him. The meeting to elect Thapa was held in Kurseong.

Keshav Raj Pokhrel, a spokesman for the party, said: “Anit Thapa will be the acting president of the party as we need to adhere to some technicalities to appoint a full-fledged president. The process will be duly followed.”

Thapa will also continue to discharge his responsibility as the general secretary.

“We will now work as ‘we’ and not as individuals in the party,” said Thapa soon after taking control of the party and reversed his former party president Binay Tamang’s media gag on party leaders and the dissolution of various committees of the faction.

“All the previous committees that were dissolved will be reinstated with immediate effect,” added Thapa.

On June 16, Tamang had said the party would no longer have a spokesman and that only he would issue media statements or designate some leader to do so on a particular day.

Tamang had also dissolved the subdivisional committees of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and constituency committee of Mirik and Soureni. Tamang had also decided to personally monitor the central and district committees of the women and youth wings, too.

Even though the growing difference between Thapa and Tamang is being cited as a catalyst for the new political development, Thapa on Friday said he had sent a message to Tamang after his resignation announcement stating that Tamang should at least have placed his grievances with the central committee before leaving party leaders and followers high and dry.

Most of the central committee leaders and representative of the 23 frontal organisations of the party attended Thapa’s meeting.

Ruden Sada Lepcha, Kalimpong MLA, prominently present.

“All pointers suggests that Thapa is ready to ready to lead this faction sans Tamang,” said an observer.

Breaking down and weeping seem to be the new flavour of the season for politicians in the Darjeeling hills.

On Friday Bimal Gurung could not hold his emotions when he received the party flag from Tamang at his Patlebas office in Darjeeling. The flag was accepted by Gurung at 11.19 am, a time he always maintains to undertake important events.

Tamang, too, had wept when he had announced his decision to hand over the flag to Gurung on Thursday.