Newly formed UGA runs into hiccups

EOI, DARJEELING, JUNE 13, 2023 : United Gorkha Alliance, formed in the hills of Darjeeling a couple of days ago by opposition parties to challenge the ruling dispensation in the panchayat election is finding itself in hot soup, with differences cropping up among members of the new alliance.

On June 11, BJP MP from Darjeeling Raju Bista initiated talks with heads of different regional political in the hills and announced the formation of the United Gorkha Alliance (UGA), specifically for the rural polls on July 8.The members comprise the BJP, Gorkha National Liberation Front, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Hamro Party, Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxist, Hamro Party and Gorkha Rastriya Nirman Morcha.

However, on Tuesday the opposition was stung by the unexpected, as top leaders of the GNLF and the HP top leaders went on an offensive against one another, apparently over the announcement of a candidate from the Tukvar area of Bijenbari block.

GNLF secretary general and Darjeeling MLA Neeraj Zimba accused HP president Ajoy Edwards of taking a unilateral decision to announce the name of a candidate. 

"He (Edwards) did not discuss the matter with any of the UGA member parties while announcing the name. All the members of the alliance are unhappy. Such decisions are unacceptable in an alliance," he said.

Zimba and Edwards have a history of bitter relations since the Assembly by-election in 2019. Edwards was then with the GNLF, and was all set to get the ticket from the Darjeeling constituency.

However, in the last minute the party decided to announce Zimba's name as the party candidate. Zimba went on to win the election. Edwards held it against Zimba and went on to float the HP and three months later went on to win in the Darjeeling civic poll.

The GNLF secretary general said Edwards would be held responsible if the alliance failed. "The HP and its president are not factors in rural polls. Our party decided to join the alliance because of the GJM. We feel there is still time and we should leave the HP out of the alliance," asserted Zimba.

Reacting to the allegation, Edwards said: "When the alliance was formed, it was discussed and accepted that a party with stronghold in certain areas would be able to field its candidate. In Tukvar, the HP and the GJM are prominent. We discussed the issue with GJM and they accepted. Other alliance partners though were not interested".

Interestingly, neither Zimba nor GNLF president Mann Ghising attended the meeting last Sunday where the UGA was formed, even though a senior representative of the party was present.

Not to be outdone, Edwards, while saying it was a case of miscommunication, asserted it was not important to listen to Zimba. 

"We are sorry if we hurt the UGA members with our decision. We will listen to what the GNLF president has to say and not Zimba who is irrelevant," the HP president said.

Edwards appealed to all the alliance partners to not get distracted and instead focus on defeating the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha - Trinamool Congress alliance. BGPM president Anit Thapa has predicted that the opposition alliance would not work due to the vested interest of its members who did not have any election agenda to reach out to voters.

 "The opposition partnership is only to defeat us. They do not have any issue. Also the members have their own interests," he said.

Caught on the wrong foot, the other UGA members have chosen to remain silent and instead keep a close watch on things for now.