Darjeeling Hills miss Cabinet berth BY Amitava Banerjee2 June 202

Amitava Banerjee, MP, June 2, 2026, Darjeeling: The expanded state Cabinet announced on Monday proved to be a mixed bag for the Darjeeling Hills. Despite widespread anticipation that at least one of the three MLAs from the Hills would be inducted into the ministry, none found a place in the Cabinet. However, the induction of Bishal Lama, a Gorkha MLA from Kalchini in Alipurduar district, provided some reason for cheer.

The Darjeeling Hills have long been considered a saffron bastion and provided the BJP with a crucial foothold in West Bengal politics through the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Many political observers believe that this support eventually helped the party expand its influence across the state. Anticipation was therefore high that a Hill MLA would be inducted into the Bengal Cabinet.

In the recent Assembly elections, the BJP won all three Hill seats.

“Though this is an internal decision of the BJP government, the inclusion of a Hill MLA would definitely have been a matter of great rejoicing. The Hills have always been deprived, and the BJP could have made a positive start by inducting a Hill MLA into the Cabinet to project a sense of inclusivity,” said S.P. Sharma, spokesperson of the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM).

“Gajendra Gurung from Kalimpong served as a Cabinet minister in 1967 and 1969. Later, Deo Prakash Rai of the All India Gorkha League, an alliance partner of the United Left Democratic Front, became a Cabinet minister in West Bengal in 1971. Subsequently, CPI(M) MLA Dawa Lama served as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Hill Development in 1982, Animal Resources Development in 1987 and Fire Services in 1993. After that, there has been a long gap,” CPI(M) leader K.B. Wattar told Millennium Post.

Echoing similar sentiments, Saman Pathak, General Secretary of the CPI(M) Darjeeling district committee, said: “The BJP is not sincere towards the Hills. The Hills gave the party the much-needed political space in West Bengal. Since 2009, Darjeeling has consistently elected BJP MPs. It is high time the party gave something back to the Hills.”

Amid the disappointment, many residents viewed the swearing-in of Bishal Lama, a Gorkha leader from Kalchini Assembly constituency in Alipurduar district, as a silver lining.

“The state Cabinet has been expanded with the broader objective of ensuring the overall development of the state and North Bengal. As a result, our responsibilities have also increased. We must now work not only for our own districts but also for the overall development of the state,” Bishal Lama said.

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post