Bimal Gurung on Monday oozed confidence about his return to power despite the steady exodus of leaders from his camp, and predicted the end of the political road for Binay Tamang and Anit Thapa in the next “15 to 20 days”.

“It’s just a matter of another 15 to 20 days,” said Gurung on the political future of Thapa and Tamang during a public meeting at Monteviot Ground in Kurseong.

The two rival Morcha leaders parted ways with Gurung in 2017 to form a splinter of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Thapa is the present chairperson of the board of administrators of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Gurung’s forecast is probably drawn from an assumption that the model code of conduct for Bengal polls would be implemented, rendering Thapa with limited powers and triggering his political downfall, said an observer.

Gurung had resigned from the GTA in July 2017. But such is his confidence of returning to power that he said he would “re-inaugurate” projects that started during his GTA tenure but were being inaugurated by Thapa now.

“In the three years of their tenure, what new asset have they (Tamang-Thapa) built? Everything that is being inaugurated now are projects that we started,” said Gurung who also warned contractors to be careful in their dealings with political leaders in power now.

Gurung said he sensed politics behind the GTA’s teachers eligibility test held on Sunday and demanded that recruitment of teachers be done before Assembly elections. The GTA has not opened any teaching vacancy as of now. Nearly 14,000 candidates appeared for the TET conducted by GTA and Gurung probably is worried that these candidates might go with Thapa.

“A party delegation met state education minister Partha Chatterjee at 1pm today (Monday) and the minister is unaware of this TET exam,” said Gurung.

Gurung also reiterated his attack on the BJP and accused Darjeeling MP Raju Bista of being “garrulous.”

Even though Gurung oozed confidence of returning to power, a host of leaders left his camp. Arun Ghisingh, a former GTA Sabha member from Mirik, and who was on the run with Gurung till recently, resigned from the party on Sunday.

Earlier, Raju Pradhan, founder assistant secretary and Tilak Chand Roka, president of the party’s tea union had left the party.

If one is to go with the list of central committee office-bearers when the party was agitating for statehood between 2007 and 2012, more than 50 per cent of the leaders have deserted Gurung.

“We are trying to work with all leaders,” said Roshan Giri, general secretary of the Morcha’s Gurung camp, when asked about the desertions.