GTA polls this year: Binay

VIVEK CHHETRI , 14 May 2019,  Darjeeling: 2019 could be the year of elections in the hills, if one is to go by the claims of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang 

Tamang, who is contesting the May 19 Darjeeling Assembly bypoll, on Monday said elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and two-tier panchayat system would be held this year 

After elections to gram panchayats were held in the hills in 2000, no rural polls have been conducted. The GTA elections were to be held in July 2017 

Addressing a street corner meeting in ward 16 of the Darjeeling municipality on Monday, Tamang said: "The state government is currently reviewing the GTA Act. Once it is completed, GTA elections are likely to be held

The Morcha president said following the review, eight blocks in the hill areas of Dar- jeeling and Kalimpong districts would be bifurcated into 12 blocks. "Once the blocks are bifurcated, two-tier panchayat elections will be held," said Tamang 

Darjeeling is going to the polls for the second time in two months. Darjeelong Lok Sabha seat went to the polls on April 18. The Assembly bypoll will be held on Sunday 

Most political parties have been demanding that rural polls be held in the hills. The panchayat system has been defunct in the hills since 2005 

Elections to 112 gram panchayats had been held in 2000 even though a special provisions had been granted to hold gram panchayat and panchayat samity elections. However, the second-tier elections were not held as many believed then chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, Subash Ghisingh, was wary that powers and functions of panchayat samitis would overlap with those of the DGHC.