Bimal Gurung to sit on indefinite hunger strike today against GTA polls, other issues

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) president Bimal Gurung will sit on an indefinite hunger strike from Wednesday against the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elections and other issues.

GTA (an autonomous body to administer Darjeeling hills) elections are scheduled to be held next month.

Speaking to reporters, Bimal Gurung said, "Our first demand was to oppose the GTA election and to include 396 Gurkha majority mouzas in the GTA. All demands must be met first."

Meanwhile, several political parties, including the BJP and their allies GNLF and CPRM, have made it clear that they will not contest the GTA elections. Even Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has also made it clear that there is a legal battle to prevent the TMC-led state government from holding GTA elections.

The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government has announced to hold polls in the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in June.

Bimal Gurung has earlier written a letter to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, requesting her to put the GTA election in abeyance till the Memorandum of Proposal (MoP) submitted by the party to the government is implemented.

The MoP also demanded the inclusion of the 396 Gurkha majority mouzas into it.

He will sit on hunger strike at 11 am tomorrow.

Bimal Gurung broke ties with the BJP ahead of the West Bengal Assembly Elections and joined hands with Mamata Banerjee.

The elections to the GTA, which was formed in 2011, is on hold since 2017. There are 45 elected members in the GTA Sabha and five others are nominated by the governor.

( With inputs from ANI )