JIBESH SARKAR TO BE THE CPIM CANDIDATE FOR DARJEELING LOK SABHA SEAT

by Barun Roy February 25, 2009

SILIGURI: Jibesh Sarkar will be the CPIM candidate for Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. The decision was taken in Kolkata where the candidates were chosen by the Party State Committee. The candidature will be announced on the 3rd of March after the general meeting of the party state committee. This is a first time that a candidate from the plains have been chosen instead of a candidate from the hills by the party.

Bharatiya Janata Party has also announced the candidature of Dawa Sherpa for Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. Indian National Congress meanwhile, is set to field Dawa Narbula once again for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat. AICC observer Papu Alam is slated to arrive in Siliguri today to learn about the aspirations of the party members and it has been learnt that they have favoured Dawa Narbula. However, due to the stand taken by Dawa Narbula on the issue of Gorkhaland, there is said to be some opposition to his candidature, at least among the party cadres in the Hills.

Chopra and Islampur had been so far a part of Darjeeling Lok Sabha Constituency, however, after the boundary demarkation, Chopra and Islampur will form a different constituency. In 1989 and 1994, Indrajit Khuler had won the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat due to the support of Gorkha National Liberation Front. In 1999 S. P. Lepcha, the CPIM candidate won the seat. In 2004, Dawa Narbula, a congress candidate had won the election and is presently also the Darjeeling Constituency Lok Sabha representative.

Tags: Lok