The issues for lok Sabha elections in Darjeeling constituency seem to largely differ from the remaining parts of Bengal.
While in the rest of Bengal candidates are addressing burning issues like scams, alleged large-scale irregularities in recruitment of primary teachers, political violence and rape to gauge the aam aadmi’s mood, in Darjeeling lok Sabha seat things are a bit different.
Allegations of corruption and rape apart, Gorkhaland continues to remain the most important factor according to the locals. It still continues to divide the electorate in two broad sections — the Hill people and those who live in the Dooars-Terrai region.
Says Himadri lama, a hotelier at Panighata, “Gorkhaland is the birth right of the people of the Hills and should be considered as one by the Centre.”
His voice is echoed by Alpana Chhetri of Nepali Bustee in Siliguri. “All we wanted was a separate State. If they can approve Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Telangana then why not Gorkhaland. Are we not the citizens of India, don’t we have soldiers at the borderIJ” she asks.
But Tarun Ghosh, a schoolteacher from Matigara says, “Bengal has suffered over the centuries on account of partitions. We have been divided into several parts — a major chunk going to Bangladesh and smaller districts to our neighbouring States creating an adverse land-man ration. Our economy has dwindled on account of these repeated partitions. So we cannot allow another division.” He, however, refuses to reply who he will vote for.
last time BJP candidate Jaswant Singh had polled 4.9 lakh votes while CPI(M)’s Jibesh Sarkar got 2.5 lakh votes. Out of the seven Assembly seats in Darjeeling four are in the plains and three are in the Hills.
Going by the voting pattern in the past few elections, one could easily bet in favour of BJP candidate SS Ahluwalia backed by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. This, because the entire Hill population would vote for any GJM-backed candidate.
But this time around, things have changed a bit. Thanks to the “divide and rule” policy of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, concedes a senior GJM leader insisting “We will win any way though with a somewhat depleted margin.”
“All the communities like Tamangs, lepchas and Gurungs are with us with us as they have understood CM’s tricks” says HB Chetri, a GJM leader and MlA.
His views are confirmed by Pabitra Sarkar, a trader and a Congress supporter. “You cannot say that just because Trinamool has created lepcha and Tamang councils they will vote for Trinamool. The lepchas have three distinctly divided groups at least two of which are not with the Trinamool Congress.”
On whether the issues like Saradha chit fund, alleged scam in teachers’ recruitment tests, rising numbers of rapes and more importantly `150 crore Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority scam would have its impact on the polls, Anidya Mishra, a Government servant in Siliguri, says: “They will but the Gorkhaland issue will dominate the polls.”
His neighbour Pratyush, however, says that the people have remembered how the then Police Commissioner J Jayaraman was removed in a single day and sent to “compulsory waiting” for arresting an IAS officer allegedly involved in the SJDA scam where the names of some Trinamool leaders including a former MlA figured.
However, Anwesha a college student insists that “the BJP-GJM still has an edge over others but the votes in the plains may get divided in a big way among the left, Congress and the Trinamool.
“Such was the emotion here that the people and the police alike “hand-pulled the jeep of the outgoing police commissioner and many even had tears in their eyes” says he wondering “do you think this will not have an impact in the city areas. Siliguri has a population of about 10 lakh.
She also insists GJM leader Subas Ghising’s support to Trinamool wouldhelp its cause. Ghising’s party has about 6 percent votes. Apart fromthis “some locals may vote for Trinamool because Mamata Banerjee hasbrought a major part of the State secretariat to Siliguri by settingup Uttar Kanya the Writers’ Buildings of North Bengal which as been ofmuch help to the locals who had earlier to run to Kolkata for minorofficial works.
Notwithstanding from this advantage could get upset by the expectedtilt --- in favour of the BJP --- of the 40,000 strong businesscommunity in Siliguri that normally votes either for the left or theTrinamool.