Marked by fresh political alignments, the elections in Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat in 2024 has emerged as one of the most interesting electoral contests in West Bengal.
While the politics of Darjeeling hills for the past several decades has been centered around the Gorkha identity and demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland, the issue seems to have taken a backdrop amidst these political alignments.
The manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 2009 had referred to the issue and said that the party was in favour of a permanent political solution for the Darjeeling hills. However, the party manifesto this year is silent on the issue giving a handle to the Opposition to target the BJP which has been winning the seat since 2009.