Darjeeling,TT. Jan. 19: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is set to step beyond the borders of Bengal and test its electoral fortunes in other parts of the country which have significant pockets of Gorkha population.
As a first step, it has fielded a candidate in Mussoorie in Uttarakhand where Assembly elections are due on January 30.
Morcha chief Bimal Gurung will leave for Mussoorie tomorrow or the day after to campaign for Jagdish Chauhan, party general secretary Roshan Giri said today.
The Morcha also believes that it has considerable influence in at least 26 constituencies in Assam and three in Manipur.
“According to our survey, we are a major factor in at least 26 seats in Assam. We can influence at least three Assembly seats in Manipur apart from Mussoorie in Uttarakhand,” said Giri adding: “In the days to come, there is a strong possibility of the party contesting elections in these seats.”
The Morcha is gearing up to pool all its resources to ensure that the debut in Mussoorie does not turn out to be a damp squib.
“The elections are significant as we will be contesting in a seat outside Bengal for the first time. Our party president will be leaving for Uttarakhand in a day or two and will attend meetings and road shows there on January 24 and 25,” said Giri.
The fact that the Morcha has taken a conscious decision to reach out to the Nepali-speaking people across the country can be gauged from the fact that Giri will be leaving for Tezpur on January 21 to attend a programme organised by Assam Gorkha Sammelan. “From Assam, I will also go to Uttarakhand on January 23,” said Giri.
Party sources maintain the Morcha does not want to be seen merely as a Darjeeling-based political outfit with a limited sphere of influence.
“If we are able to rally all the Nepali-speaking people scattered across the country, the importance of the party in the eyes of the Centre would definitely increase. Winning an election outside Bengal where our community is present, is not on our agenda. Our ultimate aim is to bring our people under one political banner,” said a Morcha leader.
Another source said the Mussoorie seat has 94,557 voters of whom the about 20,000 are Nepali-speaking people. “If we can consolidate our voters in Mussoorie, we can win the seat there as there are 15 candidates in fray,” said a Morcha leader.
“Since its inception, the Morcha had been mobilising supporters across the country and many from Uttarakhand had even taken part in various dharnas organised by the party in Delhi to support the Gorkhaland movement,” said another leader.
During the parliamentary elections in Uttarakhand in 2009, the Morcha had appealed to the Nepali-speaking people to vote for the BJP. “During the last parliamentary elections, we had supported the BJP but we now think that we are in a position to contest at least one seat in Uttarakhand,” said Giri.
Asked if Gurung and other Morcha leaders would be meeting Union ministers in Delhi during their trip to Uttarakhand to press for the early formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial administration, Giri said: “Nothing has been fixed as of now.”
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