'GTA elections on 26June: An exercise in futility, says BJP MP Raju Bista; BJP, allies skip Darj all-party meeting

SNS, DARJEELING/SILIGURI, 24 MAY 2022: The state government has decided to hold elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) on 26 June, according to the Commissioner of the Jalpaiguri Division, Ajit Ranjan Bardhan.

Speaking after an all party meeting in Darjeeling today, Mr Bardhan, who is also the GTA election officer, said an official notification for the elections will be out on 27 May and that nomination filing for all the 45 GTA constituencies would begin the same day.

"The three returning officers, SDO Kurseong, SDO Darjeeling and SDO Kalimpong, will also issue the notice. Nomination filling will begin the same day and it will go on for the next seven days. Scrutiny and two days for withdrawal and counting will be held on 29 June. We told the parties today to cooperate and ensure peaceful elections, which are of course always peaceful here," Mr Bardhan said after the meeting in Darjeeling. He added that the police force in the Hills would be sufficient to conduct the elections, and that they would seek more police force if the need arises.

Soon after the announcement, Raju Bista, the Darjeeling MP and leader of the BJP which, along with its allies in the Hills did not attend today's meeting, held another meeting in Siliguri with his party's alliance partners to for-ululate their strategy. The BJP has been opposing the GTA elections.

Mr Bista said that the BJP and its alliance partners like the GNLF, CPRM and AIGL did not attend the meeting called by the election authority for the GTA polls.

"As we do not consider the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration a legitimate representation of the aspirations of the people from our region, and that any elections to the same would be nothing but an exercise in futility, the MP and its allies did not participate in the meeting," Mr Bista said.

According to him, the people of Darjeeling Hills as well as the Terai and the Dooars have rejected the GTA in 2017 as "it failed to fulfill their aspirations," the MP said.

According to him, following widespread public dissatisfaction with the semiautonomous body, the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is another signatory to the GTA Agreement of 2011, has initiated tripartite talks involving the central government, the West Bengal government and Gorkha representatives to find a Permanent Political Solution (PPS).

"Any election to the GTA would amount to breaching the sanctity of the ongoing talks process, and it will undermine the sincere efforts being made by the Union Home Ministry and Gorkha representatives to find a PPS," the Darjeeling MP said, adding. "Moreover, the issue concerning GTA is currently subjudice under the Calcutta High Court, which has also advised the WB Government against holding the election till the case is heard."

"We, therefore, discussed various strategies to confront this outright dictatorial and confrontational attitude adopted by the WB Govt. We have unanimously decided that we will adopt various measures including pursuing the legal system to put a stop to this farce of an election. We will work unitedly to protect the rights of the people from Darjeeling Hills, Terai and Dooars and we won't let the TMC Govt to impose this illegal body forcefully on us," he added. Bimal Gurung to go on hunger strike

Meanwhile, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha president, Bimal Gurung, said he would tomorrow join a hunger strike being staged by his party in Darjeeling against the GTA elections.

The Morcha has been demanding that the GTA Memorandum of Agreement he "fully" implemented before the state conducts the elections to the body.