Rival supporters of Darjeeling’s BJP MP Raju Bista and former foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla are competing to build up their own leader’s claim to nomination from Darjeeling ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s March 9 Siliguri visit.

Shringla’s team on Thursday issued a handout highlighting the former diplomat’s engagement with Modi. Shringla was until recently the chief coordinator for India’s G20 presidency and, despite not having joined the BJP officially, is widely seen as the probable party candidate from Darjeeling this general election.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recognising Shringla Ji’s acute diplomatic acumen, appointed him as India’s ambassador to the mighty United States, a role in which he excelled, elevating India-US relations to unprecedented heights…” the statement read.

Shringla also served as ambassador to Bangladesh and Thailand.

Bista sounded confident that he would not lose his ticket. “(I am) sure that the tradition of changing candidates will end this time,” he said on Thursday.

The BJP has changed its Darjeeling nominee in every election since 2009 despite winning the seat each time.

Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Jaswant Singh won the seat in 2009 but was replaced in 2014 with then party vice-president S.S. Ahluwalia, who also won and went on to become Union minister. Still, in 2019, Ahluwalia was replaced with Bista, then a political novice.

Supporters of Bista and Shringla are now fighting on social media. Shringla’s camp is emphasising, among other things, his claim to be a son of the soil.

A widely circulated video says his grandfather, Sharab Lama, was a government contractor in Darjeeling and that the ex-diplomat is the eldest son of Tshering Thendupla, a resident of Chowk Bazar in the heart of Darjeeling town. It adds that Shringla’s mother Hari Devi Basnet too hails from Darjeeling.

As for Bista, videos of “common residents” talking about his “contributions” and their support for him have flooded social media platforms. Some local BJP leaders, too, have expressed support for him.

Some videos have highlighted the development work undertaken during Bista’s five-year tenure.

However, the outgoing MP and his party are on the back foot over charges of failing to fulfil their 2019 election promises. The BJP had promised tribal status for 11 hill communities and a “permanent political solution” for the region.

Bista says he is confident that the Centre would announce something on the tribal demand before the model code of conduct comes into effect.

On Thursday, the MP asserted that for him, a “permanent political solution” meant a Gorkhaland state, but cautioned that it would take time. He underlined how the BJP government at the Centre was taking tough decisions, from Kashmir to Assam to Tripura.

“We need to wait till 2026, by which time the TMC will be uprooted from Bengal,” he said.

However, many posts have come up expressing support for Shringla and saying it’s time to look for a new face.