Change of guard in Darjeeling Municipality as Calcutta high court allows Oppn to move no-confidence motion

IANS, KOLKATA, 26 DECEMBER 2022: It is now inevitable for the Ajay Edwards-led Hamro Party to lose control over the Darjeeling Municipality in the hills of north Bengal, as a vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday cleared decks for opposition Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) to move a no-confidence motion against the current board. 

The no-confidence motion will he brought on Wednesday (December 28). In February this year, Hamro Party took control over the Darjeeling Municipality by bagging 18 out of 32 wards in the civic body. 

The BGPM-Trinamool alliance bagged a total of 10 seats, with the BGPM at eight and the Trinamool at two. The Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morelia (GJM), which was once the final word in the hills of north Bengal, won just four seats. 

However, things changed on November 24 this year, as six elected councillors of the Hamro Party shifted to BGPM. On the same day, BGPM sent notice moving a non-confidence motion. In the notice, the municipality chairman was asked to call a meeting of all elected councillors to prove its majority. 

Meanwhile, the Hamm Party moved to the Calcutta High Court challenging that notice. Their argument was that since the notice had signatures from just six councillors it was clear that the majority was not in favour of the no- confidence motion. however on Monday evening, Calcutta High Court's single judge-bench of Kaushik Chanda ruled that since the no-confidence motion notice was served as per provisions of the West Bengal Municipal Act, the argument of Hamro Party on this count does not stand. 

Last month, Ajay Edward alleged that BGPM allured the six councillors, who shifted camps, by promising them payment of lakhs of rupees as well as residence at Darjeeling district headquarters at Siliguri. "This is not an ethical way to take control of the board," he said then.