Anything but a walk in clouds

DARJEELING: For most residents of Darjeeling Hills, voting has rarely been a dilemma. For nearly three decades now, it's been a simple affair of casting the ballot for the party that made the biggest promises for a Gorkha state. If the Subash Ghisingh-led Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) monopolized elections in the 80s and 90s, Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has been the flavour of the Hills for the past eight-nine years.
This time though, there is a buzz of a contest with the emergence of Jan Andolan Party (JAP), led by former Gurung confidant Harka Bahadur Chhetri, who was GJM spokesperson. For the first time in years, people - particularly in urban pockets - are faced with a choice. While GJM remains the primary claimant to the three Hill seats, JAP - a fledgling party formed six months ago - has already displaced GNLF as the primary challenger in Kalimpong and Darjeeling town.
Bhaktaraj Sunuwar, general secretary of Nepali Sahitya Sammelan - an ensemble of novelists, writers, poets and translators in Darjeeling town - admits he is in two minds. While GJM is still the most potent force in the Hills, the educated and suave Chhetri has offered a promising alternative hitherto unknown in this rough terrain. "Since 1988, when GNLF emerged as a political force, it has been a no-contest in the Hills. The party won four elections, before GJM took over. The victory margin of around 1 lakh votes is indicative of the absence of any contest in the Hill seats of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong. But this time, it won't be so lopsided. Chhetri has significant influence in Kalimpong and the brand of politics he espouses is an attractive proposition for the urban educated middle class in Darjeeling town and elsewhere," said Sunuwar.
In 2011, GJM had cornered over 74-87% votes polled in the three Hills constituencies and GNLF finished a distant second with 6-14% votes. Chhetri, who had recorded the largest margin while contesting from Kalimpong on a GJM ticket last time, is hopeful of pulling through without GJM's backing. The state cabinet nod to the creation of Kalimpong district has fuelled his hopes of an upset.
JAP seems to resonate with the educated youth. Adwaitya Chhetri, an English graduate, singer and blog writer in his 30s, is campaigning for Chhetri. "We are fed up with the brand of politics that the Hills has witnessed over three decades.It is the first time that a party has elected some place other than Darjeeling as its headquarters," he said. Diki Doma, an economics graduate and NGO worker who has also joined Chhetri's campaign, is pragmatic. "JAP has a real chance in Kalimpong and will test the waters in Darjeeling and Kurseong," she said.
GJM assistant general secretary Jyoti Kumar Rai brushes off the JAP challenge: "Chhetri owes his political existence to GJM. By aligning with Trinamool, he has betrayed the Gorkha cause for a separate statehood. He may have some urban influence but is no match to the mass support that GJM enjoys in the Hills."
But Rai admits it will not be a walkover this time. "We will win. But our vote share will be reduced as some votes will go to JAP," he said. That will make the contest interesting in Kurseong where Trinamool has fielded Shanta Chhetri, formerly of GNLF. The three-time MLA still commands a substantial chunk of votes in Kurseong.
With Shanta Chhetri and NB Khawas switching allegiance to Trinamool, GNLF is now led by Ghising's son Mann. A relative greenhorn in politics, he has failed to stem the party's slide. Political observers believe the 2016 assembly elections could see the marginalization of GNLF, like the Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League (ABGL) in the 1980s, and emergence of JAP as a force to reckon with.