JAP scores in civic area

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong, May 20: The newly-formed Jana Andolan Party lost the Kalimpong Assembly seat to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha but it bagged 12 per cent more votes than its rival in the municipal areas.

In the Kalimpong civic area, JAP got 12,065 votes against the Morcha's 9,295 out of the total 23,591 votes cast. It means JAP secured around 51 per cent votes, while the Morcha got about 39 per cent. Around 10 per cent votes went to others, including NOTA.

Of the 23 Kalimpong municipality wards, JAP led in 19.

Party president Harka Bahadur Chhetri said the performance was encouraging and JAP would have formed the civic board had the municipal polls been held now. "We won in the municipal area. We will continue to pursue our political agenda and contest all coming elections," he said.

Asked if JAP would contest in Darjeeling and Kurseong, he replied in affirmative.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung, however, said his party would have won all 23 wards in Kaimpong if there was a civic poll. "MLA elections, MP elections, panchayat elections and municipality elections are different from each other. I will decide what work is to be done and which candidate has to be fielded in the municipal polls. I will work on it in the coming days. I am confident of winning all 23 wards," he said.

The Kalimpong civic body is run by the Morcha with all 23 wards in its kitty. The next municipal elections are due in December.