Political Camps Start Oiling Their Election Machinery for Assembly By-Polls in Darjeeling

Binoy Tamang

Wepen, April 23, 2019: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has  declared party President Binoy Tamang as the candidate for the Assembly By-elections in Darjeeling. The GJM claim that if Tamang wins the seat he will be made the Minister of Hill Affairs, Government of West Bengal.


A central committee meeting was held in Darjeeling on Tuesday attended by the frontal organizations. It was in this meeting that Tamang’s candidature was decided on “unanimously.”

Addressing media persons, Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha (GJNM) President, Tshering Dahal, stated “If Binoy Tamang wins he will be given the Ministry of Hill Affairs. In the present political scenario it’s very vital that the Hill maintain a diplomatic relation with the State Government.”

If he wins the Hills will get a Minister in the West Bengal cabinet after a long gap of more than 35 years. Earlier Dawa Lama from the Hills was the State Minister for Animal resource Development and later Fire Brigade, Government of West Bengal during the Left Front rule.

The poll plank of the GJM will include distribution of land documents (parja patta,) development, minimum wages and employment.

Ajoy Edward

“More than 82% people in the Hills do not have land documents. In the Darjeeling Municipality area people reside in vest land, DI Fund land area, Municipal lease land area. There are more than 2000 families having no land documents of the land they reside in. The BJP has launched a conspiracy whereby they will be implementing the NRC. They are trying to prove us as immigrants of 1950. To counter this we should have the land documents. Along with this Benoy Tamang will also work for political security and identity of the Gorkhas” stated Dahal.

The GJM has assured that land documents will be handed over by 2020. Other than this the upgradation of Darjeeling Municipality into a Corporation; Creation of Sonada and Sukhia Municipality and Upgradation of Bijanbari block into a sub division is also on the cards.

Tamang is at present the Chairman, Board of Administrators, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. Tamang will be filing his nomination on April 26.

Amar Lama

With Amar Singh Rai, the GJM MLA from Darjeeling resigning and contesting the Lok Sabha elections as a TMC candidate, the Darjeeling Assembly seat is at present vacant. Darjeeling will go to polls on May 19 and results will be declared on May 23.

The TMC will not take part in the fray but will be supporting Tamang.

Even the BJP will not field a candidate but will support the consensus candidate.


The Hill opposition parties have decided to continue the alliance that had been forged for the Lok Sabha elections. The GNLF, GJM (Bimal faction,) CPRM, AIGL had supported the BJP candidate.

KB Wattar with CPIM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury

“Our negotiations are on. Candidate is not important. Unity is important. The candidate could be a non political person, a social worker, philanthropist also. We want a permanent solution to the Hill problems” stated Ajoy Edward, Steering Committee member of GNLF.

Interestingly Ajoy Edward’s name is doing the rounds as the MLA candidate from the Hill opposition camp.

Meanwhile the Jan Andolan Party (JAP) has declared Amar Lama as the party candidate for the Assembly By-election from Darjeeling.

“We have a bitter taste over the consensus candidate exercise during the Parliamentary elections. The constituent parties indulged in politics of gain and went their own ways. We were left alone. However we contested the MP elections alone. This time we will field Amar Lama as the JAP candidate for the Assembly By-elections from Darjeeling” stated Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri, President, JAP.


The CPIM will also be in the fray. The name of KB Wattar, District Secretariat member, CPIM, is doing the rounds.

Sanjay Thakuri has been declared as the IDRF candidate.