Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief goes on indefinite hunger strike against GTA polls

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) President Bimal Gurung will sit on an indefinite hunger protest from Wednesday against Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elections and other issues in Darjeeling. The West Bengal government on Tuesday announced that elections to the GTA will be held next month.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) President Bimal Gurung will sit on an indefinite hunger strike from Wednesday to protest against the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elections and other issues. Confirming the development, Roshan Giri, General Secretary of the Morcha said, "Morcha President will start an indefinite hunger strike campaign at Singmari party office in Darjeeling from 11 am today.

The West Bengal government has decided to hold elections to the GTA, an autonomous body to administer Darjeeling hills, in June this year. The announcement comes amidst calls by political parties and citizen groups against holding elections to the regional autonomous body in the Darjeeling hills.

Bimal Gurung said, "Our first demand was to oppose the GTA election and to include 396 Gurkha majority mouzas in the GTA. All the demands must be met first."

Several other political parties, including the BJP and their allies GNLF and CPRM, have already made it clear that they will not contest the GTA elections. Even Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista has also made it clear that there is a legal battle to prevent the TMC government from holding GTA elections.

Earlier, Morcha president Bimal Gurung had threatened to sit on an indefinite hunger strike if his party’s memorandum of proposals is not implemented before the Gorkhaland GTA election. He also wrote a letter to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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The GTA polls have been due in the state since 2017 after the first election was held in 2012. GJM was formed in 2012 after a tripartite agreement was signed between Centre, Bengal and Bimal-Gurung led GJM and since then the body has been run by administrators.