The Trinamul Congress and the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) are set to kick-start their joint Lok Sabha election campaign from near Sandakphu, which is the highest point in Bengal.

BGPM leader Gopal Lama will contest from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat on a Trinamul ticket, as reported by The Telegraph last month.

Lama, a former West Bengal Civil Service officer, reached Siliguri on Tuesday after attending the Trinamul rally on the Brigade Parade Grounds in Calcutta on Sunday when his candidature was officially announced.

BGPM president Anit Thapa said: “We will start our campaign from GTA constituency No 1, which is Rimbick-Lodhama constituency.”

Thapa was speaking to media in Siliguri where he reached on Tuesday to receive Lama.

Sandakphu, situated at an altitude of about 11,900ft, falls within the constituency. Some villages in the area like Gorkhay and Samanden do not have motorable roads for connectivity.

Thapa directed BGPM leaders not to wait for Lama to visit their villages to kickstart the election campaign.

“I ask every leader to start visiting each and every house in your village. I want to see good results in every booth. I will not listen to any excuses when the election results are announced,” said Thapa. “Do not wait for Gopal Lama to come to your village. He needs to spend time in the plains, too, while we must work in the hills.”

Trinamul has never won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat.

The BGPM and Trinamul are hoping that the organisational strength of the BGPM in the hills and the BJP’s failure to deliver on its 2019 Lok Sabha election promises will help them garner votes.

“The BGPM is in control of rural bodies in the hills after panchayat elections were held last year following a gap of 22 years. BGPM leaders believe that their grip on the grassroots through the panchayats will draw votes to their candidate,” said an observer.

“....Despite winning elections for the past 15 years, the BJP has not fulfilled any of the demands from Darjeeling,” said Thapa.

The BJP had promised tribal status for 11 hill communities and a “permanent political solution” for the Darjeeling region. The promises remain unfulfilled.