Govt official replaces appointed GTA board - Principal Secy appointed administrator until poll MCC is in force

SNS, DARJEELING 29 MARCH 21 : The state government has removed the appointed Board of Administrators (BoA) of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), while the principal secretary of the Hill body has been made its administrator until the model code of conduct for the elections in the state remained in force. A notification to that effect was issued by the West Bengal Home and Hill Affairs Department yesterday. Hours before the notification became public, the Chairman of the BoA, Anit Thapa, had claimed that he had written to the state government, asking it to remove him so that free and fair elections can be conducted.

"The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed, in order to avoid a situation where critical functions of Urban Local Bodies are actually discharged and thereby affecting level playing field during the operation of Model Code of Conduct....," the notification stated.

It added that the ECI had received complaints on the "disharmony" in the GTA between political nominees in the BoA and the principles of level playing field.

After the then GTA chairman Bimal Gurung, along with Sabashads, resigned from the GTA in the year 2017, the state government had formed the BoA headed by Morcha leader Binoy Tamang to run the GTA. With Mr Tamang contesting the Darjeeling Assembly by-election in 2019, the GTA chairmanship was given to Atilt Thapa. No elections have been held for the body until now, with the state government extending the BoA' s term every six months.

On the other hand, Mr Thapa yesterday morning stated, "There was a lot of talk about the ECI removing me from the GTA for the election period since last week, but till date the GTA hasn't received such order, but I feel that for free and fair elections to take place I should step down as the GTA chairman until the elections, as I know we are going to win all the three seats in Darjeeling Hills and there should be no criticism later on that I used my position to influence the voters."

Mr Thapa also claimed that he had asked the state government to remove him from the post till the Model Code of Conduct was in force.

Meanwhile, going back on its stand that it will be fielding election candidates in the three Hill seats, the Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists (CPRM) yesterday maintained that it had now decided to support BJP candidates. The party claimed that the decision was taken so that the Trinamul Congress does not come to power in Bengal. A group in the Kalimpong unit of the party, however, protested the decision.

CPRM leader Kishore Pradhan, who had been earlier chosen as the CPRM candidate for Kalimpong, said, "We feel that an agitation for the demand of Gorkhaland can only be done by local parties and we should save them. That was the reason we did not support a BJP candidate in the Darjeeling Assembly by- election held in 2019. Now, with both factions of the Morcha in alliance with the TMC an d the GNLF and the CPRM with the BJP, what will happen to local parties?"

"I appeal to the CPRM to rethink the decision and if not, we will not campaign for the BJP here or vote for them," said Mr Pradhan.

On the other hand, BJP candidates from the three Hill seats filed their nomination papers today at their respective places. BP Bajgain in Kurseong, Subha Pradhan in Kalimpong and Neeraj Zimba in Darjeeling were escorted by huge crowds of people consisting of alliance partners like the GNLF.

Mr Zimba was seen in Darjeeling alongside GNLF leader Ajoy Edwards while filing his nomination. Only a few days back, pressure was being mounted by GNLF supporters for Mr Edwards to be chosen as the election candidate for the Darjeeling seat instead of Mr Zimba. Mr Zimba said that work for the' permanent political solution' was going on, along with tribal status for 11 Gorkha communities, with those issues also in the state BJP manifesto now.