Gorkha Janmukti Morcha founder president Bimal Gurung on Sunday claimed that Mamata Banerjee had wanted the Trinamul Congress to contest the Kalimpong seat, while leaving Kurseong for the Binay-Tamang-Anit Thapa faction of the hill party and Darjeeling for the Gurung camp.

The Gurung and the Tamang-Thapa factions of the Morcha, despite being bitter rivals, are allies of Trinamul.

Trinamul decided to leave the three hills seats to “friends” in Darjeeling.

While campaigning in Darjeeling for his faction’s candidate on Sunday, Gurung said: “Don’t you think Mamata Banerjee did not tell me to leave the Kalimpong seat for the TMC, Kurseong for Anit Thapa and was I not asked to stand from Darjeeling? I, however, said these (three seats) are ours and even if the TMC fields candidates, we will go ahead and field our own candidates. It is then that the hills were declared a free zone.”

Gurung’s revelation, if true, provides an insight into Mamata’s actual plan for the hills and also his poll strategy to project as a true guardian of the hills.

However, Mamata’s decision to leave the three hill seats to “friends”, which could be both the Tamang-Thapa camp and the Gurung camp, has hurt her party in the hills.

Trinamul has not been able and cannot afford to ask its supporters to vote for a particular faction of the Morcha as both are its allies.

“In the process, Trinamul foot-soldiers are feeling let down,” said an observer.

On Friday, Trinamul workers from the hills met in Siliguri to discuss this particular issue.

“We have always sacrificed a lot for the party, but where do we stand now?” a senior Trinamul leader said when asked about the meeting. “But we tried our best to explain that our party’s stand is in our interest.”

Gurung’s revelation on Sunday, many believe, is also an attempt to send an impression that he is close to Mamata and he would not be ignored if Trinamul forms the government in Bengal.

An insider of Tamang’s camp, however, rejected Guurng’s speech. “We had sent three names to Calcutta (Mamata Banerjee). The list included Amar Singh Rai for Darjeeling, Tshering Dahal for Kurseong and Ruden Lepcha for Kalimpong. It is another story that the party leadership decided to change Amar Singh Rai’s name at the end,” the insider said.

Keshav Raj Pokhrel is a Binay-Anit camp’s candidate from Darjeeling.

New GTA chief

Surendra Gupta, principal secretary, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), was appointed the “administrator” of the GTA, replacing Anit Thapa as the chairman, board of administrators, GTA, on Sunday by the Bengal government.

The development came after Thapa had “appealed” to the Election Commission of India (ECI) through social media, to replace him till the model code of conduct is in place for “fair and free” elections in hills.

Thapa’s appeal was made public a few hours before the state government’s replacement decision came.

“Thapa was smart in his move as he was replaced by the state government and not the EC,” said an observer.

The state government’s order read: “WHEREAS the Election Commission of India has received complaints on the disharmony in GTA between political nominees in Board of Administrators and the principles of level playing field and…”

Before the EC’s decision, the state government replaced Thapa.