Poll posers for Dooars Morcha

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Apr 03, 2018 Siliguri: Binay Tamang and other leaders of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha will have a vital decision to take in the next three-four days - whether the party will contest the panchayat elections in the Dooars and if it does, whether it will go into a formal or informal understanding with Trinamul.

Tamang, who had held a meeting of the Morcha's central committee on Sunday near Mirik, had said he would hold another meeting on April 5 at Bagrakote in the Dooars to take a decision on the issue.

Party leaders based in the Dooars, however, said on Monday that there were certain key issues which Tamang and his colleagues needed to resolve.

"All of us are eyeing the April 5 meeting to hear what central leaders say. There is confusion because ever since Binay Tamang and his lobby took over the party, we have heard little from them as whether they intend to continue expending party's base in the Dooars or want to confine themselves to the hills," said a Morcha leader in the Dooars.

Another leader based in Kalchini block of Alipurduar - in the eastern Dooars - confirmed that so far, they had not received any communication from the BJP with whom they had allied in the Parliament and Assembly elections.

Unlike the 2013 rural polls, when Bimal Gurung was at the helm of the Morcha and the party had fielded candidates in different tiers across the Dooars, there has been a slackening in political activities of the Morcha in the Dooars, during the past one year.

"Last year, Trinamul leaders aggressively worked throughout the Dooars and managed to get many prominent Morcha leaders, a considerable number of party workers and their supporters on board. This has not gone down well with a section of Morcha leaders who are still with the hill party. In case the central leaders are planning a formal alliance or even an informal adjustment with Trinamul, they will have to convince these aggrieved leaders," said an observer.

In 2013, the Morcha had allied with a faction of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led by John Barla, a prominent tribal leader in the Dooars. The hill party had then fielded 173 candidates in panchayats, 37 in panchayat samitis and four candidates in zilla parishad seats.