Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) chief Anit Thapa has won the elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). Elections to the GTA, the regional autonomous body of the Darjeeling Hills, which comprise Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, were held after a period of 10 years, and Mr. Thapa’s party, the BGPM, won 27 of the 45 seats in the GTA. Mr. Thapa, who is all set to become the Chairperson of the GTA, was in Kolkata on Tuesday to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. In an interview with The Hindu’s Shiv Sahay Singh , the 49-year-old politician feels that along with support of the West Bengal Government, he can usher in development in the Darjeeling Hills. Excerpts:
Your campaign for the GTA polls was on the promise of peace and development. You must be happy that it worked out.
Peace is not enough for the people of the Darjeeling Hills. It has been five years since the 2017 [100-day strike and violent agitation for Gorkhaland] agitation and we have been able to maintain peace. People of the hills want prosperity now. The GTA elections and the mandate of the people in our favour heralds the beginning of practical politics in the Darjeeling Hills.
