Mamata to attend oath-taking function of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration

BGPM president Anit Thapa, who lost the Darjeeling municipal election earlier this year, will be sworn in as the GTA chief executive

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee will attend the oath-taking ceremony of the newly-elected members of the semi-autonomous Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) in Darjeeling on Tuesday.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee arrived in Darjeeling on Monday. (ANI)

Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which Banerjee calls a friendly party, won the GTA elections held last month after 10 years. Formed nine months ago, BGPM contested 36 of the 45 GTA seats and won 27. Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) won five of the 10 seats it contested. Another recently founded Hamro Party won eight seats and independents the remaining five.

BGPM president Anit Thapa will be sworn in as the GTA chief executive. He lost the Darjeeling municipal election earlier this year. Hamro Party won the polls.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat thrice in a row since 2009, and Gorkha National Liberation Front were among the parties which opposed the polls saying Banerjee held them polls against people’s wishes.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief president Bimal Gurung, who allied with TMC before the 2021 assembly polls, boycotted the GTA polls. Many of his former leaders contested as independents.