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This is an archive article published on May 15, 2017
Darjeeling Hills polling ‘peaceful’, voters trickle in through the day
A large number of independent hopefuls are in the fray, and are expected to impact vote share of major parties
Representational Image/ File photo
Even as areas in the plains of Bengal reeled under violence during the municipal body polls on Sunday, Darjeeling Hills saw a peaceful voting process.Both the ruling Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Trinamool Congress — which is trying to get a foothold in the Hills — were happy about the proceedings at the end of the day. Civic body polls in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik were incident-free while elections in Domkal, Pujali and Raigunj saw incidents of violence throughout the day.
“Polling has been peaceful in the four civic bodies. We are happy that people came out and voted freely. We are confident that we will win with huge majority. This is because the people of the Hills know that the state government has betrayed them, and have voted for better civic amenities and a separate state of Gorkhaland,” said GJM general secretary Roshan Giri. TMC leaders too expressed satisfaction over the polling process.
“Today, democracy is reinstated in Darjeeling through such fair polls. Law and order situation remained peaceful, and people voted. Earlier GJM used to win uncontested, but this time TMC candidates are there,” said N B Khawas, working president of TMC (Darjeeling district).
No queues were seen in polling booths, with people stopping by and voting throughout the day. In Darjeeling, for example, only a handful of people were present in polling booths at around 10 am. When asked how much the GJM is worried about the TMC-Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) alliance, Giri said: “We are not concerned about the GNLF factor. They are not going to win a single seat. For a decade, we have our dedicated voters, and this time also they will vote for us.”
However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s frequent visits to the Hills, along with the impact of the Jan Andolan Party, has left some GJM leaders worried. GJM sources claimed a section of people are also not happy with party chief Bimal Gurung as he failed to take up the Gorkhaland issue on the right track with the Centre so far.
TMC leaders claimed that this time it would not be an easy task for the GJM, especially in Mirik, after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s decision to upgrade the area to a sub-division. She has promised to look into the possibility of granting land rights to the people living there.
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