The BJP on Tuesday announced its candidates for the three hill seats, opening a floodgate of protests not just from its two most important hill allies, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) and the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) but also from within.
The BJP fielded Subha Pradhan from Kalimpong, B.P. Bajgain from Kurseong and Neeraj Zimba from Darjeeling. Pradhan and Bajgain are former Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (Bimal Gurung camp) leaders.
Pradhan, a former Kalimpong civic chief, joined the BJP less than a week ago. Bajgain joined the BJP a few months back.
Zimba, sitting Darjeeling MLA, is a GNLF leader who had contested on a BJP symbol in the 2019 by-elections and will do the same this time too.
BP Bajgain File picture
After the BJP’s list went public, GNLF president Maan Ghisingh voiced his dissent over candidates of “Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong”. Later, the GNLF issued another statement stating its protest was against the choice of candidates in “Kalimpong and Kurseong”, not Darjeeling. “The party will make its stand clear on this issue soon,” Ghisingh said.
The CPRM also decided to announce their candidates from the three hill seats after the BJP’s nominations.
R.B. Rai, president of the CPRM, said the party had decided to back the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls after assurance that the issue of the national identity of Indian Gorkhas would be solved and the mention of “permanent political solution for the region,” in the party’s poll manifesto.
“But after the BJP’s one-sided decision (to field its candidates) without taking allies into confidence and its decision to ignore regional aspirations, we have decided to field our candidates in all three hill seats,” said Rai.
Neeraj Zimba File picture
The CPRM fielded Kishore Pradhan from Kalimpong, Sunil Rai from Darjeeling and Arun Ghatani from Kurseong.
Both the GNLF and the CPRM said they would not walk out of the alliance, but were registering their protest against the BJP’s choice of candidates.
Protests also erupted in the BJP camp in Kalimpong with many demanding that recent turncoat Pradhan be replaced with a party old-timer.
