Independent candidate Mahendra P Lama,
who held his 150th public meeting today in Darjeeling town, was
brimming with exuberance saying he has already won the election given
the immense support people showed towards him with during his campaigns,
both in the hills and the plains.
Addressing a sizeable gathering at the
Motor Stand after a rally, the well-known academician and founder of the
Darjeeling-Dooars United
Development Foundation (DDUDF) said, “We
have already won although voting is still two days away. The April 17
voting process will just be a formality. This confidence stems from the
people’s support to me during my campaign, which was noticeable even at
the time I floated the DDUDF and interacted with them.”
Political observers believe the
independent candidate has a very low chance of winning, but he could
play a spoilsport to other contenders in the fray, particularly for the
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
“It is more or less acknowledged that
Lama will not win the election. But he will play a significant part in
dividing votes, as people disgruntled with the GJM, or those who want to
see a new face, are expected to side with Lama who is looked upon as an
intellectual and an individual of integrity. It must be remembered that
this election is multi-coloured and the GJM could see chunks of votes
being gobbled up by its rivals,” a senior resident observed.
Regional parties including the Communist
Party of Revolutionary Marxist and the All India Gorkha League are
rallying behind Lama,
with support also coming from the
Gorkhaland Rastriya Nirman Morcha, a party led by Dawa Pakhrin, a GNLF
dissident leader, and some social organisations.
The independent candidate today limited
his speech to finding faults with the current leaders of the hills and
their ineptitude in placing forward pertinent and logical arguments
while demanding a separate state including their promises to work for
the society people if elected to Parliament.
“I have interacted with people during
the course of the campaigning period and found them depressed and fed up
with the present political situation. People want change and a focused
leadership capable of making their aspiration into reality. If elected,
my job will be to take forward the statehood demand to its rightful
conclusion and to facilitate unprecedented development of the Darjeeling
hills as a legislator,” said Lama.
He also said agitations for a separate state in future by the DDUDF would be focused in Delhi.
“From now there will two agitations, one
for a separate state and other for education. It is useless agitating
here in the hills.”
The DDUDF president also cautioned the
audience against the sinister and divisive policy being stoked by the
Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.
“She comes to Darjeeling and says Bengal
will not be divided, but fails to explain why. We co-existed in harmony
all these years. But now the chief minister is sowing seeds of
disharmony in the hills. We are not against a community getting
additional facilities and perks, but they should not come without other
communities also being embraced,” noted Lama, referring to the chief
minister forming the Lepcha and Tamang boards and giving similar
assurances to other communities here.
The DDUDF and its allies will stage a
road show from Sonada to Darjeeling town in the morning in the last day
of the election campaign, sources have said.(EOIC)