BGPM wrests control of Darjeeling Municipality from Hamro Party after floor test

The old board now stood dissolved and the new chairman would be selected within seven days

EOI, DARJEELING, DEC 28, 2022: In a dramatic turn of events, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha on Wednesday ended the nine-month-old tenure of the Hamro Party in Darjeeling Municipality, wresting control of the civc board; establishing its majority in a floor test. 

Darjeeling municipality Executive Officer, Tapas Kumar Hajra said after the floor test that the the BGPM had won, fielding 16 councillors against the HP’s 15. The HP councillors did not, however, appear in the floor test. 

The old board now stood dissolved and the new chairman would be selected within seven days. In the house strength of 31, the BGPM showcased 16 councillors including two from its alliance partner the Trinamool, while the HP enjoyed the support of 15 councillors including the support of three from the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. 

“A requisition was placed by 16 councillors seeking removal of Ritesh Portel as the Municipality Chairman. After the mandatory procedures, three councillors moved a requisition for an extraordinary special meeting today and voted for the removal of the chairman with a majority. We will have to wait for at least seven days before a new chairman is selected and a new board is formed,” he said.

As an interim measure, till the selection of a new chairman and board of councillors to be executed by the District Magistrate of Darjeeling, the Executive Officer would take charge of the civic body to dispense citizen service related work. 

The BGPM and the HP are considered newcomers in hills politics, with the two regional parties being floated a month apart in November and September, 2021,respectively. The HP won the Darjeeling civic body election in March 2022 while the BGPM won the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration election in June the same year. 

BGPM president Anit Thapa said hard work and perseverance had paid off for the party. “Our party believes inworking for the people irrespective of poll prospects. We have the vision and idea to make Darjeeling better,” he said.

Thapa urged party councillors to walk the talk and not get distracted by detractors. “Let us not get drunk by the success. Now, it will be a challenge for us to work for the people. Do not make tall claims and promises. Only make promises that you can fulfil,” he said, while adding that the party would give a free hand to the new board to function without interference. 

The HP councillors including the chairman refrained from showing up for the floor test which they had earlier termed was predatory and illegal. HP president Ajoy Edwards said the floor test might have been conducted but it was a sub-judice matter. “The meeting was called illegally. We have seven days to approach the higher courts as we still have an appeal for disqualification of our councillors joining the BGPM. This is the reason we refused to attend the meeting today,” he said. Edwards alleged the sole purpose of the floor test by the BGPM was to keep intact the nexus with the builders on whom the HPhad come down strongly. “The BGPM used money power to lure our councillors,” he alleged.

“Elections to the Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik municipalities are due and we fear the same modus operandi of theBGP M,” the HP president said. 

Earlier in the day, the BGPM councillors arrived in the municipality with supporters thronging the streets. After nearly three hours as news cascaded outside the civic body building, BGPM supporters burst crackers and danced in jubilation of the takeover of the civic body