JAP decides not to blow poll bugle

MP | 13 March 2019, Darjeeling: In a sudden development, Dr Harka Bahadur Chettri president Jan Andolan Party (JAP) on Wednesday announced that his party will stay out of the Lok Sabha polls thereby causing a major setback to coalition that was being forged.

"For more than a month we have been trying to forge an alliance and field a consensus candidate. There is the GNLF, JAP and the CPR. However, this has not been possible. The other two parties have already decided on their candidates," stated Chettri.

The JAP president stated that his party does not adhere to the politics of winning seats. "We do not want to win the MP elections. We wanted to forge an alliance with the regional parties and come out with a consensus candidate for the greater good.

"However, as this has not been possible we have decided to stay out of the fray," added Chettri.

Interestingly, while talks were on in Siliguri between the three parties along with the Congress and CPI(M) on March 10, though the CPRM had sent representatives to the meeting, in Darjeeling they unilaterally had announced RB Rai as their candidate.

Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist (CPRM) is a breakaway faction of the CPI(M). The CPRM, however, stated that if a agreeable consensus candidate is decided upon Rai will withdraw from the fray. Rai is the president of the CPRM and a former MP.