Darjeeling 4 Apr 2016 The Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League has become the third party to extend support to the two Trinamool Congress candidates in the hills for the Assembly election. The announcement was made today by ABGL president Bharati Tamang from her residence after a hill TMC delegation met her led by Darjeeling TMC candidate […]

Darjeeling 5 Apr 2016 The Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League today withdrew its support to the two Trinamool candidates from Kurseong and Darjeeling asserting the party would first hold an internal meeting and decide on the matter in the near future. However, the party has not changed its decision of supporting Jan Andolan Party candidate Harka […]

Pramod Giri, HT, 14 Apr 2016, Kolkata: Vishal Lama, Usha Tamang, Padam Lama and Ganesh Lama may or may not win the Assembly elections. But they are the lucky ones to represent their community for the first time in the Dooars region of Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts where most seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes. […]

Writes Gorkhas N Gorkhaland No Candidate Deserves My Vote! No State No Vote ! Beware of Vote ! Vote is our Enemy ! Gorkhaland is only our Solution & “NOTA” is only our Option ! NOTA, (None of the Above) also known as “against all”, is a ballot option in Indian electoral system, designed to […]

There was great need for such a party in the hills, claims Harka, as all other parties have let the people down. “The common man in the hills has suffered immensely because of communal politics. Even the demand for Gorkhaland has been communalised. I want to take people away from this,” he says. The JAP […]

Writes Sougata Mukhopadhyay With the political honeymoon with Mamata Banerjee now well and truly over, the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland has returned to reverberate around the hills of Darjeeling. This time the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has raked up the demand with the state elections as excuse. Morcha candidate from Darjeeling, Amar Rai, […]

In yet another show of solidarity with the Trinmool, the recently formed STGVM which was formed by dissidents from GJM has extended their support to TMC. Attending the TMC rally in Siliguri, the STGVM delegation led by Mr. Sanam Giri, Samvhu Rai, Uttam Gurung and Ram Chettri yesterday said that “we have placed our demands […]

TMC’s hill jot to beat Morcha Writes Vivek Chhetri Darjeeling, April 11: The tie-up with the Jan Andolan Party and the GNLF seems to have given Trinamul enough confidence to take on the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha in the hills. The first joint meeting convened by Trinamul, GNLF and the JAP drew an impressive crowd at […]

Writes: Bicky Sharma “Dinu, uth na aabo. Vote haalnu jaadainas? Aaile duiso feri bhir huncha.” – shouts Dinu’s mom, to which Dinu replies “Jaadai garnu tapai, aaile keta haru sita awchu.” She then leaves for the polling booth, reminding him again to make it fast. Dinu is a young guy. Just 19 years of age, […]

Darjeeling 17 Apr 2016 Amid allegations and counter allegations by candidates notwithstanding, the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly election in the three constituencies of Darjeeling district today ended by and large peacefully, with voter turnout recorded at 69 per cent by five in the evening. Darjeeling SP Amit Javalgi said three poll-related arrests […]

In house of man who started Gorkhaland stir, a family united by 3 political parties. “The first ever party formed to fight for a separate state of Gorkhaland (ABGL was formed in 1943 by Damber Singh Gurung) no longer features on Darjeeling’s political map.” The Tamang family in Darjeeling is unique, at least politically. While […]

Writes Vivek Chhetri Darjeeling, April 15: The hills, in every way alive to a multi-pronged election season, is also in the middle of a comedy of confusions. A contestant from Darjeeling’s oldest party decided at the eleventh hour that fighting an election was not what his family wanted him to do. His indecisive party chief first […]

Writes Binu Sundas An interesting old video was posted today in my whatsapp, which shows Dr. H B Chettri addressing a meeting somewhere in the plains. He concludes his speech saying that we will work together, walk together and reach our destination together. Yes they have worked together as well as walked and is trying […]

After Gorkhas’ monopoly, BJP may open account in Bengal legislative assembly with three seats Writes Madhuparna Das DARJEELING/KURSEONG: The hills look different this election season — there are lots of Trinamool and BJP flags fluttering around, indicating the mood of its people. And unlike many years of identity politics — often marred by violence — […]

Writes Vivek Chhetri and Rajeev Ravidas Darjeeling, April 17: Bimal Gurung cast his vote at Patlaybash Community Hall in booth number 23/95 here today but the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader’s mind was two hillocks away in Kalimpong. Dressed in a blue tracksuit, Gurung voted around 9.30am and during his interaction with the media and supporters, […]

A meeting was held at Darjeeling on 02 April on mobilization of joint campaigning for their chosen candidates in upcoming Assembly Poll which was attended by the Office bearer of GNLF, TMC and Jan Andolan Party JAP. For the joint campaigining a committee too was formed for streaming task in respective levels to outreach mass. […]

Writes: Binu Sundas As the election date approaches closer, it is becoming easier for the people of the hills to make their choice. Only the ‘candle’ seems to be burning for the people other symbols seems to be in the dark. This is due to insanity prevailing in the ‘party of intellectuals.’ Why I say […]

Writes: Upendra for TheDC FRIDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 Much has been going on in the Darjeeling political scenario of late, for anyone remotely interested in politics these are an exciting time for the people in our region. We are literally spoilt for choices, issues range from the promised “development” to “Sikkim merger,” from formation of […]