The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), a political outfit set up by Anit Thapa in September 2021, is all set to form the board at Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the regional autonomous body of Darjeeling hills. The BGPM won 27 of 45 seats on Wednesday when the results of the GTA were declared. Elections to the GTA were held on June 26.
The electoral outcome is significant to the politics of the hills, a region that has witnessed decades of agitation over the demand for a separate State of Gorkhaland.
Mr. Thapa is considered to be close to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership and was also appointed administrator of the GTA by the West Bengal government. Interestingly, the TMC which has not been able to taste much electoral success in the hills even after a decade of rule in West Bengal, won five seats at the GTA. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), led by Bimal Gurung, and the Bharatiya Janata Party have stayed away from the election.
