GJM in a spot after Trinamool fields Bhaichung

Pramod Giri, THT, SILIGURI, 5 March 2014: Mamata Banerjee has made her move by selecting Bhaichung Bhutia’s name as the Trinamool Congress candidate from Darjeeling. What will Gorkha Janmukti Morcha do now? The selection of Bhutia without consulting GJM chief Bimal Gurung has put the party on a tricky wicket. Will Gurung stay silent on his political humiliation or oppose Bhutia’s candidature and risk confronting Mamata?

Bhutia, the former India football team captain, has no connect with the Darjeeling Hills and his candidature has surprised Trinamool supporters in the district. Given the mood in Darjeeling, Bhutia would face a tough fight unless the GJM decides to support him. The Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists ( CPRM), the second largest political party in the Hills, has already said it would not support Bhutia.

The GJM, the big daddy in the Hills, has not made any official comment. Party insiders said that though the Mamata’s decision has definitely put Gurung in an awkward situation, the GJM is unlikely to support Bhutia. The GJM knows that if it backs Bhutia, the party may face flak from locals’ as the former India captain is not a local boy.

The GJM also know that antagonising Mamata may boomerang on the outfit. The arrest of hundreds of GJM supporters and many Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) sabhasads after the GJM renewed its Gorkhaland movement damaged the party.

The state government’s delay in withdrawing pending cases against GJM supporters and leaders as per the tri-partite GTA agreement had also worried Gurung. Trinamool factored all these in before it nominated Bhutia.

Though no one is confirming it officially, the GJM is already in talks with the BJP. Gurung has already announced that he would soon visit Delhi. Though Gurung did not reveal why he would visit the Capital, sources said he would meet senior BJP leaders.

In 2009, BJP’s candidate Jaswant Singh won the Lok Sabha election from Darjeeling with the support of GJM and his winning margin was 2,53,289 votes. BJP state secretary Biswa Priya Roy Choudhury said the party’s central leaders would take a decision soon. A senior GJM leader said their first option would be to join hands with the BJP. It is also keeping the option of fielding its own candidate.