BGPM launches ‘Mission Panchayat’ to strenghten party

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 14 Mar 2023 | DARJEELING: With an eye on the forthcoming Panchayat elections, the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) has announced “Mission Panchayat” in the Darjeeling Hills. 

The mission is to rejuvenate and strengthen the party organisation. “The party is made up of workers hence workers are important for a strong party. We will give a lot of stress on strengthening our party organisation. Henceforth all the workers of BGPM will go forward with Mission Panchayat. 

If we have to strengthen our party we have to win the Panchayat elections” stated Anit Thapa, president, BGPM in a workers' meeting at Gourishanker Community Hall near Kurseong. He stated that with a lot of hard work the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) election was won by the BGPM. 

“Each and every worker contributed to this victory. We have a mission. We had assured the people of the Hills that we will restore Panchayat Raj in the Hills. The schedule of the Panchayat elections could be announced in April. We will allot party tickets based on recommendations from the booth level and frontal organisations, not on individual recommendations” stated Thapa. 

Ratan Thapa was nominated the BGPM Convenor for the Panchayat elections. In the Darjeeling Hills the last Panchayat election was held in the year 2000 with the then GNLF party under Subash Ghising objecting to Panchayat elections in 2005 alleging that the Panchayat was diluting the powers of the DGHC. Since then Panchayat elections have not been held in the Hills. 

All the Hill political parties have been demanding Panchayat elections in the GTA area. In his letter to the West Bengal Chief Secretary earlier, Anit Thapa had stated that due to the absence of a proper Panchayat Raj Institution system, the region is not getting several funds including the Central Finance Commission, State Finance Commission and ISGP. The letter further claimed that no staff has been recruited at Gram Panchayat and Gram Panchayat Samity level for more than 20 years. 

Even the Hamro Party had written to the Chief Minister to hold Panchayat elections in the GTA area. Incidentally with the formation of the DGHC in 1988, the three tier Panchayat system prevalent throughout the country was replaced by a two tier system in the Darjeeling Hills by amending the Indian Constitution in 1992.

In August last year The West Bengal State Election Commission directed the District Magistrates of Kalimpong and Darjeeling districts to start preparatory work for delimitation within the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration area for Gram Panchayats and Panchayat Samities. 

Courtesy & source: Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bgpm-launches-mission-panchayat-to-strenghten-party-511649