BGPM bags majority seats in many GPs in Darjeeling and Kalimpong

Hill based regional political party Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Manch (BGPM) has bagged majority seats in many Gram Panchayats (GP) in Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

Two decades after the BGPM under the leadership of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) Chief Executive Anit Thapa, who is president of his party, captured majority GPs in the Hills.

Notably, the last two tier Panchayat Polls took place in the Hills in 2000 during the tenure of Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) supremo Subash Ghishing, who was chief of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) and his party kept absolute control over two tier civic bodies in the Hills.

But in 2005 the state could not conduct Panchayat polls there when Ghishing had demanded Sixth Schedule status to run the DGHC.

Significantly, Anit Thapa’s party BGPM captured civic bodies in rural belt 22 years after. Interestingly, Independent candidates bagged many seats compared to the BJP, though the saffron party had bagged Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat and two MLA seats of the three in the Hills. Notably, besides United Alliance led by the BJP, several people independently contested two tier polls. But Anit Thapa’s party candidates captured many GPs in Darjeeling and Kalimpong.