LS polls: Bimal Gurung to contest as GJM candidate

GJM party president Bimal Gurung will contest this election as the GJM candidate. Talks are ongoing with other regional parties, including the CPRM and the Hamro Party.

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 20 Mar 2024 : BJP ally Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has decided to go at it alone this election and field GJM president Bimal Gurung as the candidate. Parleys are on with other regional parties for support to Gurung. 

Talking to Millennium Post, Noman Rai of the GJM stated: “GJM party president Bimal Gurung will contest this election as the GJM candidate. Talks are ongoing with other regional parties, including the CPRM and the Hamro Party. 

Their response has been quite positive.” Bimal Gurung-led GJM has been a close ally of the BJP in the Hills. In 2009, GJM had supported the candidature of Jaswant Singh from Darjeeling and ensured a landslide victory thereby providing a toehold to the BJP in Bengal politics. 

The BJP had won 2 seats in Bengal, including Darjeeling in 2009. Since the last Panchayat elections, a crack has been evident in the bonhomie with Gurung alleging that the BJP was going all out “like a dinosaur” to devour regionalism and regional parties in the Hills. 

Despite not having an organisational strength in the Hills and depending on Hill allies, the BJP instead of supporting alliance candidates had fielded its own candidates in rural elections, inviting flak from the GJM. 

The rift widened with the BJP-led Union government failing to live up to its commitment of a permanent political solution for the Gorkhas as well as inclusion of 11 Gorkha communities in the Scheduled Tribe list. 

The Hill alliance partners of the BJP were banking heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign in Siliguri on March 9 for important announcements that could be used to their advantage during this Lok Sabha election. 

However, no such announcement was made. The PM further assured that the BJP-led Union government was “close to a solution for the Gorkhas.” A feeling of being “let down” was expressed by most Hill regional parties except the Gorkha National Liberation Front. 

Gurung and his party have steadily lost ground in the Darjeeling Hills not faring well in both the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration election as well as the Panchayat election.
Gurung contesting independently would provide a chance to rejuvenate the GJM as well as gain lost ground, feel GJM insiders. It would however cause a dent in BJP’s vote share in the Hills, opine political observers. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/ls-polls-bimal-gurung-to-contest-as-gjm-candidate-556729