The BJP went all guns blazing in Darjeeling, scoring a double-barrel win in the Lok Sabha and Assembly by-elections on the plank of “Gorkha pride”.

Raju Bista, the BJP candidate who won the Lok Sabha seat by more than 4 lakh votes, said: “It is clear that people have voted fearlessly.” Bista’s feat gave the BJP a hat-trick

Bista’s statement was in reference to events that folded after the Gorkhaland agitation in 2017. Some observers said it was time for the state government to ponder whether its way of handling the 2017 agitation was right.

“This is a victory of Gorkha pride, victory for all that happened in 2017,” said Neeraj Zimba, the GNLF leader who defeated Binay Tamang by a margin of more than 46,000 in the Darjeeling Assembly bypoll contesting on the BJP symbol.

Some started to wonder whether Thursday’s twin poll blows would lead to the end of Tamang’s political career. “One defeat in an election is not an end in politics. I would like to congratulate BJP for their victory,” Tamang said.

Scanning the results, it is clear the vote was only for and against Tamang.