Leaders still want rural elections in Hills

SNS, SILIGURI, 10 MAY 2022: , Amid mixed reaction to the  state government's plans to conduct elections to the Goikhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad (SMP) in June, political parties, both in the Hills and the plains, have raised questions on the elections to the autonomous body in the Hills.

As Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his recent visit to North Bengal, criticized Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and claimed that the GTA, elections were not a "proper solution" to the problems in Darjeeling Hills, the state government, in consultation with the State Election, has decided to hold elections, to the SMP arid GTA in the third week of June.

Darjeeling district CPIM secretary Saman Pathak welcomed the decision to conduct the SMP polls, but demanded rural elections in the Hills too.

On the other hand, Hamro Party president Ajoy Edwards welcomed the GTA elections and said he has decided to field party candidates in all the 45 seats in the GTA.

Mr Edwards, however, also pointed out to the rural elections in the Hills and said people were deprived of their legitimate claims that they should be getting from grampanchayats.

"We would demand rural polls in the middle term," Mr Edwards said, adding, "We would demand permanent political solution in the long term for the Hills."

Notably, Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM) General Secretary Roshan Giri, in an administrative review meeting held by the Chief Minister in Kurseong recently, had urged the CM to conduct rural elections in the Hills in the interest of the people. Significantly, the state government's decision to hold the GTA elections came to light yesterday as Mr Giri submitted a "draft proposal" to Miss Banerjee, through minister Aroop Biswas, demanding permanent political solution to the hills.

Rural elections in the Hills have not been held since 2000, when polls were held only in grampanchayats as against the three-tier panchayat system- Gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zilla parishad--at other places in the state. The Constitution was amended in the year 1993 to have a two-tier panchayat system in the Hills that were under the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council then. The Constitution has to be amended again if three-tier panchayat elections were to be held in the Hills.