Darjeeling will vote in the second phase, on April 26. One of West Bengal's most politically sensitive constituencies because of the Gorkhaland statehood demand, Darjeeling is expected to witness a multi-corner contest. Will Darjeeling's political message be any different from the past?
Snigdhendu Bhattacharya with Sandipan Chatterjee
#Darjeeling #WestBengal #LokSabhaElections2024 #ReportersGuarantee #Gorkhaland
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Snigdhendu Bhattacharya with Sandipan Chatterjee
#Darjeeling #WestBengal #LokSabhaElections2024 #ReportersGuarantee #Gorkhaland
Follow us:
Website: https://www.outlookindia.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Outlookindia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outlookindia/
X: https://twitter.com/Outlookindia
Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaNrF3v0AgWLA6OnJH0R
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OutlookMagazine
Dailymotion: https://www.dailymotion.com/outlookindia
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:03 This is Darjeeling, one of the most politically sensitive
00:08 constituencies in West Bengal because
00:11 of the decades-old Burkhala and statehood demand.
00:14 Darjeeling can be described in many ways.
00:16 It's the land of Darjeeling tea, the world-famous Darjeeling
00:20 tea.
00:20 And the tea garden workers make up
00:24 a significant chunk of the electorate
00:26 and play a determining role in the results, electoral outcome.
00:32 Nearly half of the Darjeeling parliamentary constituency
00:35 is made of the hilly areas of Darjeeling, Kashian, Kalingpong.
00:40 And the rest is made of foothills and the plains.
00:45 The BJP has been winning Darjeeling since 2009
00:49 with the promise of a permanent political solution
00:52 to the Gorkha political aspirations.
00:55 And the promise of including 11 local tribes
01:01 in this scheduled tribe list.
01:03 This was part of their manifesto in 2009, in 2014, in 2019.
01:09 In 2009, by getting the support of the local Gorkha
01:13 political organizations, BJP's Yashwant Singh
01:17 got elected from Darjeeling.
01:19 In 2014, it was the turn of BJP's Surendra Singh Alawalia
01:23 to win from Darjeeling.
01:26 And in 2019, it was Raju Singh Vista.
01:30 One with massive margins because most local Gorkha
01:34 political organizations supported the BJP,
01:37 hoping the center to do something.
01:42 This time, however, BJP's manifesto
01:44 doesn't mention the permanent political solution
01:47 or the status to the local 11 tribes.
01:53 So this has created a kind of disenchantment
01:57 among a section of voters that we
01:59 have been voting for BJP for 15 years,
02:00 but haven't got what we wanted.
02:04 At the same time, the local TMC candidate,
02:06 who is backed by another section of Gorkha
02:08 political organizations, they face some anti-incumbency
02:14 because of local governance.
02:16 The TMC is alive.
02:18 They are part of the local governance here.
02:20 So some corruption charges are there.
02:22 So there are hopelessness on both parties to some extent,
02:27 and also hope.
02:30 It remains to be seen which becomes the bigger
02:34 or determining factor.
02:35 But a couple of independent candidates,
02:38 including Vandana Rai, a prominent social activist,
02:43 and another BJP former, a BJP MLA, disgruntled BJP MLA,
02:48 Bipin Bajkai, they are also contesting.
02:51 So it remains to be seen how this division
02:55 in various kinds of votes swing impact or influence
03:00 the results.
03:03 It has not gone to a state government party, a party which
03:08 is ruling Bengal, for a long, long time.
03:11 The TMC has not gone to a party ruling West Bengal
03:15 because of the Gorkhalan sentiments.
03:18 Whether there is any change this time,
03:21 everybody is keenly watching to see
03:25 if this election sends any different political message
03:30 from the TMC.
03:31 With Sandeep and Chatterjee in camera,
03:34 stick them to the editorial reporting for OutKar.
03:37 (dramatic music)