Darjeeling will go to polls on May 19, 2019 for By election.

Wepen, Darjeeling, April 19, 2019: On the heels of the Lok Sabha poll, the Election Commission has announced the date for By-election for the 23 number Darjeeling Assembly Constituency. Darjeeling will go to polls on May 19, 2019. Along with Darjeeling, 89 Agra Assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh will also hold By-election.

The Election Commission on Friday announced the schedule for the By-election.

The Election Schedule

    22.04.2019 : Date of issue of Gazette notification.
    29.04.2019: Last date of making nominations
    30.04.2019: Date of scrutiny
    02.05.2019: Last date of withdrawal of candidature
    19.05.2019: Date of poll
    23.05.2019: Counting of vote
    27.05.2019: Date before which election shall be completed

With Amar Singh Rai, the MLA, Darjeeling resigning and contesting in the ongoing general elections from the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency, the seat of MLA has fallen vacant. Polling had taken place for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections on April 18 in Darjeeling.
Incidentally Amar Singh Rai, the MLA affiliated to the GJM had resigned from the State Legislative Assembly and had filed in his nomination for the Parliamentary elections contesting on a TMC ticket backed by the GJM in the Darjeeling Parliamentary constituency.

With announcement of the Assembly By-election, hill political camps went into a tizzy. Binay Tamang,  President, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha shot a press release.
“The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is ready for Darjeeling Assembly Bye Election which is going to be held on 19th May…We will field best of the best candidate” stated the release signed by Tamang.

Interestingly TMC Supremo  Mamata Banerjee during her recent poll campaign in Darjeeling had stated that the TMC would reciprocate  GJM’s support to the party.

“We will not field any candidate but will support the GJM candidate in the Assembly poll” Banerjee had earlier stated.

Thee Hill opposition parties had  forged an alliance with the BJP during the Parliamentary elections. Speculations are rife that the alliance will continue and could  field a consensus candidate. The alliance includes political outfits like the Gorkha National Liberation Front, Communist Party of Revolutionary  Marxist, All India Gorkha League, GJM (Bimal Gurung) and others.

The Left Front and Congress could field their own candidates feel political commentators.