BJP names Raju Bista for the second time: Darjeeling MLA Dances in Joy After BJP Names Raju Bista as Lok Sabha Candidate

First Reaction of @NeerajZimba after the announcement of @RajuBistaBJP name pic.twitter.com/jbVt7UFWx9

— Jyoti Mukhia (@jytmkh) March 24, 2024

News 18, 24 March 2024 : Darjeeling BJP MLA Neeraj Zimba couldn’t hide his excitement when the BJP announced Raju Bista as their candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat on Sunday. A video of Zimba joyfully dancing upon hearing the news has been circulating on social media.

Zimba, who is also the secretary-general of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), shares a close relationship with Bista.

First Reaction of @NeerajZimba after the announcement of @RajuBistaBJP name pic.twitter.com/jbVt7UFWx9— Jyoti Mukhia (@jytmkh) March 24, 2024

Last week, Zimba had stated that he would run as an Independent candidate for the Darjeeling seat if BJP MP Raju Bista was not given a BJP ticket, The Telegraph reported.

In a statement to the media, Zimba expressed his firm determination, stating, “It is with solemn resolve that I declare, should the Central Leadership of the BJP fail to renominate the candidature of Shri Raju Bista from the Darjeeling constituency, I will have no alternative but to contest independently as a candidate in protest against this decision.”

The Darjeeling constituency will vote on April 26, during the second phase of the seven-phase polls.

The BJP has held the Darjeeling seat since 2009, but the MPs elected, including Jaswant Singh, S.S. Ahluwalia, and Raju Bista, have hailed from outside the region. However, Bista, who is a Gorkha from Manipur, has family ties in Siliguri.