Bimal Gurung on Thursday resurfaced in Calcutta and claimed 17 former Darjeeling municipality councillors who had joined the BJP were returning home to his Morcha faction.

The announcement triggered a flurry of activities from the Binay Tamang camp in Darjeeling that paraded 16 councillors to prove Gurung wrong.

Since Gurung announced his decision to dump BJP and join hands with Trinamul in Calcutta on October 21, the dynamics of politics has changed in the hills. The Tamang faction is with the Trinamul since September 2017.

Both Gurung and Tamang are supporting Trinamul but at present hill politics is about consolidating supremacy among these two factions, despite both backing Trinamul.

On Thursday evening, Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Gurung camp said that 17 Darjeeling municipality councillors had joined BJP on June 8, 2019 (after BJP candidate Raju Bista won the Darjeeling MP seat).

Gurung, also present at the Calcutta media meet said: “We are welcoming the 17 Darjeeling municipality councillors who had joined the BJP, back home. We will hand them our party flags now.”

Gurung reiterated that BJP had failed on their promise of finding “permanent political solution and granting tribal status to 11 hill communities”, which were stated in their 2019 Lok Sabha election manifesto, and said that his party would give a “befitting reply” to BJP during the Bengal elections by ensuring Trinamul’s win.

In response, the Tamang camp paraded 16 councillors and said that one more councillor is still with them but could not be present at the parade ceremony because of his illness.

“Do a head count,” said Keshav Raj Pokhrel, spokesman of the Tamang camp. “Bimal Gurung only lies.”

Darjeeling municipality has 32 wards and in the 2017 civic elections the undivided Morcha had won 31 seats.

Of the 32 seats, one councillor has resigned, while two seats are vacant on account of death. This means there are 29 functionally seats and the majority mark is 15 as of today. Out of 29, one ward councillors is facing legal issues on her right to contest the election.

Asked about Binay camp’s claim, Roshan Giri of the Bimal camp said; “17 councillors had joined BJP. Today, 11-12 councillors were present in Calcutta but many councillors are with us.” Technically, the Darjeeling municipality was dissolved, soon after the revolt against Binay Tamang camp civic body, in 2019 and an administrator has been appointed to oversee the functioning of the civic body.

The state government had dissolved on grounds of “gross neglect or serious irregularity.”

The state government’s decision has been challenged by some councillors and is pending before the Calcutta High Court , so the political control of the civic body cannot yet be discarded.

Against this background, the developments centring on Darjeeling municipality, holds much importance, for hill politics.

Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa, who were to return to Darjeeling today did not. This too has fuelled much speculations.

Neeraj Zimba, GNLF leader who won Darjeeling by-election on a BJP ticket, however, gave a new narrative on the issue that might take centrestage in Darjeeling during next year’s Bengal election.

“The next assembly election will be between Bengal centric politics versus Gorkha centric politics. Gorkha centric politics have won in the past (MP and MLA election in 2019) and the same will be repeated,” said Zimba while addressing the media in Mirik today.

A hill observer said: “ Zimba’s narrative cannot be ignored.”

Raju Bista, Darjeeling MP from BJP said that the councillors who joined them and left them had done for “personal convenience”.