The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) again proved its grip on Darjeeling politics through rural poll results as the United Gorkha Alliance led by the BJP faltered.

The BGPM was winning in more than 60 per cent of the gram panchayat and panchayat samiti seats at the time this story was filed around 5.30pm on Tuesday.

There are 879 gram panchayats seats in the 112 gram panchayats in Darjeeling and Kalimpong and 232 panchayat samiti seats in the nine panchayat samitis.

Anit Thapa, president of the BGPM, said: “This victory is the victory of the people. They have provided us an opportunity to work and we will deliver.”

Leaders of the alliance partners warned that the rural election result was a “red signal” for the BJP to deliver on promises made to the hill people before next year’s Lok Sabha election.

The BJP, which has been winning the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat since 2009, promised a permanent political solution (PPS) and tribal status to 11 hill communities before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but has not followed them through.

Neeraj Zimba, Darjeeling BJP MLA and general secretary of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), said: “The result is a message to the BJP to promote regionalism and focus on Delhi and show results (on its promises). It definitely is a red signal for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. If they delivered, the results would have been different today.”

During this election, eight Opposition parties, including Ajoy Edwards’s Hamro Party, Bimal Gurung’s Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the GNLF formed an alliance with BJP. The alliance, however, was only for this election.

The BJP, piggybacking on local parties, had fielded the most candidates among the eight Opposition parties of the alliance.

BJP’s Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, who took the lead role in campaigning for the UGA, said that votes were not cast on the issue of Gorkhaland during this rural poll.

“Rural polls have their own local issues. I am happy I could convey our message to the hill people. We had little time too (to work on the alliance),” said Bista.

Zimba admitted there was “disconnect and lack of coordination” among alliance partners.

Edwards said they had to stitch up the alliance within 24 hours because of the sudden announcement. “We are just an 18-month-old party but are here for a long run. We will analyse our results. In places like Pedong where the alliance coordinated well the results were good for us,” said Edwards who, however, could not campaign in the last fortnight following a medical emergency in his family.

While the BGPM is set for a majority in the rural bodies in Darjeeling and Kalimpong, it did face resistance from some Independents. However, party spokesperson Keshav Raj Pokhrel said that many Independents were disgruntled BGPM leaders and the party was getting in touch with them.