TMC to field Bhaichung from Darjeeling?

Prashant Acharya, EOI, Siliguri, 7 December 2013: Speculations are rife about former Indian football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia running for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Darjeeling constituency on a Trinamool Congress ticket.

Bhutia is being seen as the frontrunner among potential TMC candidates from Darjeeling constituency where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha calls the shots.

However, both Bhaichung and North Bengal Development minister Gautam Deb declined to comment on the speculations when contacted.

Despite the state being dominated by the TMC, the party’s hold in the hill constituency is not strong and it does not have a fighting chance of winning the seat. While the GJM holds sway in the hills, the foothills are divided among parties such as the Congress, CPM and other regional outfits. Amid such a scenario, the TMC appears to have decided that fielding Bhaichung would be its best possible option.

When asked for his comment, GJM spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chhetri said, “He (Bhaichung) is not a son of the soil. He is hardly a threat.”

Other GJM leaders added the football star’s links with Darjeeling are weak as he mostly operates from Sikkim or Kolkata.