List relief for Harka

TT, Kalimpong, March 13: The Jan Andolan Party (JAP) today said the "rumour" that its president Harka Bahadur Chhetri would contest under the Trinamul symbol had been laid to rest as his name no longer appears in the list of candidates published online by the ruling party.

When Trinamul had released the names of candidates on March 4, Chhetri's name was mentioned as the party's Kalimpong candidate.

Leaders of the Jan Andolan, the party formed by the Kalimpong MLA in January, were shocked and said the ruling party had made a mistake.

On http://aitcofficial.org/, Trinamul's official website, the list of candidates does not mention Kalimpong any more. Nor does Chhetri's name figure on the list.

The earlier list had Chhetri's name as the Kalimpong candidate.

"The recent rumour appearing in the media that Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri would be contesting as a candidate for the All India Trinamool Congress has finally been laid to rest. We note with satisfaction that our president and candidate Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri's name does not appear in the list of candidates published online by the All India Trinamul Congress. We reconfirm and strongly reiterate that Dr Chettri will contest as a candidate for the JAP," a press release issued by the party's bureau member Anmole Prasad said.

The JAP had been criticised by rival Gorkha Janmukti Morcha after Chhetri's name appeared on the Trinamul candidate list.

Chhetri announced the formation of the JAP in January about a month after chief minister Mamata Banerjee said Kalimpong would be made a separate district, a demand the Kalimpong MLA had made.

Chhetri left the Morcha after criticising Bimal Gurung, the president of the hill's biggest party, saying he was dictatorial.