Hill parties meet again, fail to reach `consensus'

TT, 19 March 2019, Siliguri: The parties which had mooted a plan to field a consensus candidate against the BJP and Trinamul in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat are yet to reach a decision on the nominee.

On Monday, representatives of a number of parties, including the GNLF, ABGL, Jana Andolan Party, CPRM and the Sikkim Darjeeling Ekikaran Mancha, held yet another round of talks at a private club on the outskirts of Siliguri.

The meeting was convened by the National Gorkhaland Committee (NGC).

The NGC that functions as a social organisation has been trying for the common candidate to prevent division of votes in the seat.

"No decision was reached at the meeting. Another meeting will be held in Darjeeling on Wednesday," said Trilok Dewan, the vice-president of the NGC.

Sources said other than the CPRM, no prominent leader of any other party was present at the meeting.

"All of us want a common candidate but there are certain issues which need to be resolved through talks. We hope there might be a decision on Wednesday," said a leader of one of the parties who was present at the meeting.

The initiative, sources said, has been facing a number of stumbling blocks.

The CPRM had announced party secretary R B Rai as the candidate. The GNLF also proposed some names and party leaders have hinted that if no decision is made in a week, they might go ahead and announce the candidate.

Political observers said a new complication had cropped up in the past 24 hours as the Congress had announced that it would not enter into any seat adjustment with the Left.

The Congress also said it would contest all 42 seats..