Siliguri, 16 May: The political bigwigs and pundits were right after all. The Gorkha Jan
Mukti Morcha (GJMM) the dominant party in Darjeeling Hills, did have the
last laugh when the BJP candidate it supported, SS Ahluwalia, pulled it
off in the Lok Sabha election, and with ease.
Mr Ahluwalia, who took a big lead since counting started early morning today, maintained the momentum till the end and the final tally showed him securing a whopping 491202 votes, as against his immediate rival Bhaichung Bhutia of the Trinamul Congress, who had to remain content with 291371 votes.
While the results did disappoint many a people and rival parties gracefully admitted their defeat, the voters were in high spirits with the results in Darjeeling as well as the rest of the country, as they now feel their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland has taken a step forward.
The BJP has vowed to “appropriately consider” the statehood demand if its candidate wins the Darjeeling seat and if it forms a government at the
Centre.
GJMM chief Bimal Gurung welcomed the verdict and congratulated Narendra Modi on his mammoth victory.
“We will now pursue our dream of a separate state of Gorkhaland with him and the BJP. We have full faith in his leadership as Shri Modi has already said that the "dream of the Gorkhas is his dream," he said on Facebook.
“The results are a big step forward for us in our struggle for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The Gorkhaland sun has shone on our back now,” the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration councilor of Mirik Valley, Phubi Rai, said, expressing hope and belief that the BJP would keep its promise and do something about the long-standing demand of the Hill people.
On the other hand, North Bengal Development minister Gautam Deb said his party will anyalise the booth-wise results and review the overall situation.
“But we are happy with the number of votes TMC candidate Bhaichung Bhutia got in the constituency,” he added.
Darjeeling Hill Trinamul spokesperson Binny Sharma said the polls and the results were just the beginning. “We must not be demoralized, but work harder for the next elections,” he said.
Senior CPI-M leader Asok Bhattacharya said in Siliguri that the Darjeeling result has them all worried.
“Both the Trinamul Congress and the BJP are a threat to democracy, so their victories are a matter of concern. What we have analysed is that a large number of Left votes went to the BJP. It was a debacle for us across the state, but we will review it,” he
said.
A total of 14, 15,168 voters had exercised their franchise in 1829 polling stations in the Darjeeling constituency, out of which, 1633 are under the six segments in Darjeeling district (Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri and Phansidewa) and 196 are in Chopra.
The BJP candidate Jaswant Singh had won the earlier general elections from the constituency when he secured 51.50 per cent of the total votes in 2009.(SNS)
Mr Ahluwalia, who took a big lead since counting started early morning today, maintained the momentum till the end and the final tally showed him securing a whopping 491202 votes, as against his immediate rival Bhaichung Bhutia of the Trinamul Congress, who had to remain content with 291371 votes.
While the results did disappoint many a people and rival parties gracefully admitted their defeat, the voters were in high spirits with the results in Darjeeling as well as the rest of the country, as they now feel their demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland has taken a step forward.
The BJP has vowed to “appropriately consider” the statehood demand if its candidate wins the Darjeeling seat and if it forms a government at the
Centre.
GJMM chief Bimal Gurung welcomed the verdict and congratulated Narendra Modi on his mammoth victory.
“We will now pursue our dream of a separate state of Gorkhaland with him and the BJP. We have full faith in his leadership as Shri Modi has already said that the "dream of the Gorkhas is his dream," he said on Facebook.
“The results are a big step forward for us in our struggle for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The Gorkhaland sun has shone on our back now,” the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration councilor of Mirik Valley, Phubi Rai, said, expressing hope and belief that the BJP would keep its promise and do something about the long-standing demand of the Hill people.
On the other hand, North Bengal Development minister Gautam Deb said his party will anyalise the booth-wise results and review the overall situation.
“But we are happy with the number of votes TMC candidate Bhaichung Bhutia got in the constituency,” he added.
Darjeeling Hill Trinamul spokesperson Binny Sharma said the polls and the results were just the beginning. “We must not be demoralized, but work harder for the next elections,” he said.
Senior CPI-M leader Asok Bhattacharya said in Siliguri that the Darjeeling result has them all worried.
“Both the Trinamul Congress and the BJP are a threat to democracy, so their victories are a matter of concern. What we have analysed is that a large number of Left votes went to the BJP. It was a debacle for us across the state, but we will review it,” he
said.
A total of 14, 15,168 voters had exercised their franchise in 1829 polling stations in the Darjeeling constituency, out of which, 1633 are under the six segments in Darjeeling district (Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri and Phansidewa) and 196 are in Chopra.
The BJP candidate Jaswant Singh had won the earlier general elections from the constituency when he secured 51.50 per cent of the total votes in 2009.(SNS)