Gorkhaland Territorial Administration polls on June 26

Kolkata, May 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) The much-awaited polls for Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in the hills of Darjeeling will be conducted on June 26, and counting will be on June 29, it was announced on Tuesday.

The announcement was made by Jalpaiguri Divisional Commissioner, A.R. Bardhan after an all-party meeting on this count at the office of the Darjeeling District Magistrate.

National parties like the BJP and hill-based political forces like Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) and Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) are opposing the GTA elections. According to them, the elections for GTA would be irrelevant without a permanent political solution is in force.

However, besides the state's ruling Trinamool Congress and the other hill-based political forces like Hamro Party, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, Jana Andolan Party, and Bharatiya Gorkha Suraksha Parishad are in favour for the immediate GTA polls.

Hamro Party is currently the most dominant political force in the hills after the Darjeeling municipality polls in March this year, where it won 18 of the 32 wards. On the other hand, Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha, founded by Anit Thapa, is currently the main opposition party currently in Darjeeling with nine councillors. So, both the ruling and principal opposition force in Darjeeling Municipality are currently in favour of the GTA polls.

According to political analysts, if the West Bengal government can successfully complete the GTA polls, the ruling Trinamool will hold a political advantage over other parties.

By giving autonomy to GTA, the demand for a separate Gorkhaland can be delayed for a prolonged period at least till the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Source: IANS