The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has finally shown its trump card for General Election 2014 by announcing support to the BJP, a gesture that revives an old bonhomie with snubbing the budding relation with the Trinamool Congress.
GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang, currently in Delhi with party chief Bimal Gurung, today said over phone, "We have been meeting BJP leaders since the past few days and have accordingly decided to extend our support to the BJP in the LS elections."
Of late, speculations were rife of a possible BJP-GJM alliance after the TMC announced its candidate for Darjeeling without consulting the Morcha, while the Congress still appeared undecided. The GJM president also recently praised BJP veteran Jaswant Singh, the sitting MP from Darjeeling, for his efforts at highlighting the Gorkhaland demand in the Centre.
Further, the GJM assistant secretary said his party will support the BJP also in the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar constituencies, two regions in the plains that have a sizeable Nepali speaking population.
"We will support the BJP in the three seats of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. Besides, we will also ensure the BJP receives significant votes in other areas where we have our units," added Tamang.
In the 2011 assembly election, the GJM had supported Wilson Champramari in Alipurduar, the independent candidate from Kalchini, and Joseph Munda of the Congress from the Nagarkata seat in Jalpaiguri. Both candidates had won by sizeable margins.
According to Tamang, the party leadership arrived at the decision after a meeting with BJP president Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders such as SS Ahluwalia at the party’s headquarters in Delhi this morning. "We have urged the BJP to include our long standing demand of Gorkhaland in the party manifesto," added the GJM leader.
In the 2009 general election too, the GJM had agreed to support the BJP after the latter included the statehood demand in its election manifesto.
Meanwhile, GJM president Gurung has appealed to the people via a social networking site to vote for the BJP. "We must make sure the BJP wins with a huge margin from Darjeeling constituency and other regions as well. I appeal to Gorkhas settled across the country to support the BJP," reads his post.
The GJM chief also said the name of the BJP candidate from Darjeeling will be announced after the latter releases its election manifesto. Sources said the announcement is expected to be made jointly after March 13.(EOIC)
GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang, currently in Delhi with party chief Bimal Gurung, today said over phone, "We have been meeting BJP leaders since the past few days and have accordingly decided to extend our support to the BJP in the LS elections."
Of late, speculations were rife of a possible BJP-GJM alliance after the TMC announced its candidate for Darjeeling without consulting the Morcha, while the Congress still appeared undecided. The GJM president also recently praised BJP veteran Jaswant Singh, the sitting MP from Darjeeling, for his efforts at highlighting the Gorkhaland demand in the Centre.
Further, the GJM assistant secretary said his party will support the BJP also in the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar constituencies, two regions in the plains that have a sizeable Nepali speaking population.
"We will support the BJP in the three seats of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar. Besides, we will also ensure the BJP receives significant votes in other areas where we have our units," added Tamang.
In the 2011 assembly election, the GJM had supported Wilson Champramari in Alipurduar, the independent candidate from Kalchini, and Joseph Munda of the Congress from the Nagarkata seat in Jalpaiguri. Both candidates had won by sizeable margins.
According to Tamang, the party leadership arrived at the decision after a meeting with BJP president Rajnath Singh and other senior leaders such as SS Ahluwalia at the party’s headquarters in Delhi this morning. "We have urged the BJP to include our long standing demand of Gorkhaland in the party manifesto," added the GJM leader.
In the 2009 general election too, the GJM had agreed to support the BJP after the latter included the statehood demand in its election manifesto.
Meanwhile, GJM president Gurung has appealed to the people via a social networking site to vote for the BJP. "We must make sure the BJP wins with a huge margin from Darjeeling constituency and other regions as well. I appeal to Gorkhas settled across the country to support the BJP," reads his post.
The GJM chief also said the name of the BJP candidate from Darjeeling will be announced after the latter releases its election manifesto. Sources said the announcement is expected to be made jointly after March 13.(EOIC)