Darjeeling, Dec. 13: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today won in all five wards of Mirik municipality but the party is in a double bind with at least two prominent leaders in the race for the post of chairperson.
Morcha supporters in Mirik were elated after all five candidates of the party won the elections (see chart) by comfortable margins. Elections to the five seats were held on Sunday.
The prominent winners are L.B. Rai (Ward 7), a central committee member of the Morcha who had been the chairman of the Mirik municipality for two terms, and Arun Ghisingh (Ward 2), the vice-president of the Morcha’s Mirik Mahukuma Samiti.
Bimal Gurung hasn’t made up his mind yet if he will nominate any of these two leaders or opt for a lesser known face for the chairperson’s post.
In fact, the party president had admitted in public before the polls that there was a tug-of-war in the party for the chairmanship in Mirik.
He hinted that Independents had filed nominations in the five wards as senior leaders had tried to scuttle each other’s prospects of becoming the chairperson.
“Even if you win and come, I will not make you the chairman,” Gurung had said at a public meeting in Darjeeling on November 20, alluding to the polls to the five wards in Mirik.
“I had earlier told the central committee members that they should not contest the elections and give an opportunity to committed party workers. The problem in Mirik has cropped up because the central committee members tried to project their own candidates and at the end, they could not be made to withdraw the nominations,” he had said.
Morcha had won four of the nine wards in Mirik uncontested.
Senior Morcha leaders today admitted in private that the party was in a dilemma
“There are two leaders who are holding responsible positions in the Morcha. So, it is very important that the right person is appointed the chairman by keeping the party’s unity intact,” said a leader.
While 54-year-old L.B. Rai has administrative experience, Arun Ghisingh is relatively young (32) and was one of the first leaders to drum up support for the Morcha after its formation in 2007.
Although both Rai and Ghisingh wield considerable influence in Mirik, a councillor from the comparatively lower rung could also be elevated to the post.
“If a neutral person is anointed, the only issue is whether the two senior leaders will be comfortable working with him,” said an observer.
The decision to appoint the new chairman has been left to Gurung.
Asked who would be the nominee for the chairman, Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said: “The announcement will be made in a few days after a decision is taken by the party president. The important thing is that the Morcha has won all four municipalities in the Darjeeling hills and this is enough indication that the people are solidly behind the party and Bimal Gurung.”
Ghisingh said all winners were ready to accept Gurung’s choice.
“The decision regarding the next chairman of the Mirik municipality will be taken by our party president and all the nine Morcha councillors will accept it,” said Ghisingh.
-The Telegraph
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