Binay lobby eyes Kalimpong board

RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong: The Binay Tamang faction of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha councillors in the Kalimpong municipality are all ready to set in motion the process to usurp power in the civic body by seeking a no-confidence motion against the chairman and Bimal Gurung loyalist Suva Pradhan on Saturday.

Ravi Pradhan, the councillor of ward 3, said the councillors belonging to the Binay faction would be formally writing to the chairman on Saturday seeking a no-trust vote against him.

"We will write to him on the no-confidence motion tomorrow (Saturday). You will see how many of the councillors are with us when we formally set in motion the vote of no-confidence tomorrow," he told The Telegraph.

The Morcha rebels claim as many as 17 out of the 22 councillors are with them, including the two belonging to the Jana Andolan Party (JAP). The Kalimpong municipality has a total strength of 23 councillors, but one sitting member, Barun Bhujel of the Morcha, passed away in late October.

The JAP, on its part, has rubbished the claim that its two councillors shifted their allegiance to the rebel Morcha group.

The Kalimpong municipality chairman had also claimed that he would defeat the no-trust motion as and when that it was put to vote.

A political analyst has said the numbers appear to be in favour of the Morcha rebels.

"Look, half of the 22 councillors have already come out openly in favour of the no-trust motion. They were part of the team which met state ministers in Calcutta in the past few days. Barring the two JAP councillors and the chairman, the position of the remaining eight is not known. Expect at least a few of the eight to join the Binay bandwagon come the voting," he said.

The Binay faction is determined to add Kalimpong municipality to its kitty, having managed to usurp power in the Darjeeling and Kurseong civic bodies by organising revolts. Mirik, the last of the four of hill municipalities, is being helmed by the Trinamul Congress.

Anit Thapa, the second-in-command of the Binay camp, arrived here on Friday to ensure the fall of the last Gurung civic citadel in the hills. He is understood have met the rebel councilors at the Deolo tourist lodge.