GJM gearing up for three-tier panchayat polls

EOI, Darjeeling, 13 May 2014: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has started making preparations for the panchayat election even as it has begun predicting a victory for its ally - the BJP in the Lok Sabha election.

GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang today hinted the party is making full preparations for the panchayat election.

"We are reorganising our party structure and have also started interacting with people in rural areas following the Lok Sabha voting exercise here. We need to be proactive and gear ourselves for all future courses of action," he said.

It must be noted here that the GJM has demanded a three-tier panchayat election for the hills. It has also warned of knocking on court doors if the state government fails to do so.

"Our demand is for a three-tier panchayat election in the hills. We believe the state government will approve and announce this as soon as the counting for the general election gets over on May 16. Our party president has already made it clear that only a three-tier panchayat election should be held in the hills failing which we will be compelled to move court," said the GJM assistant secretary.

Sources within the party pointed out that the party leadership is in the process of evaluating the pros and cons of the just-concluded LS polls. "We don’t want to repeat past mistakes and intend to make amends in the panchayat election process if it is held anytime soon. It is a continuous process and we want to ensure everything is done in the right way," one source said.

Presently, there is provision for only a two-tier panchayat system in the hills. But the GJM’s demand for a three-tier system has also been incorporated in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration agreement signed in July 2011 between the state and central governments and the GJM.

"BJP candidate SS Ahluwalia, who we have supported in the LS election, has also demanded a three-tier panchayat system for the hills. We are demanding only that part of the agreement reached with the state and central governments," asserted Tamang.