Kolkata, Mar 16 (IANS): Fugitive Gorkha Janamukti Morcha leader Bimal Gurung might come back to the Darjeeling hills before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls if he gets bail and emerge as a key factor in the coming elections, BJP's West Bengal President Dilip Ghosh said on Saturday.
Terming Gurung as the "leader of the hills", he claimed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's attempt to win the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat by nominating current Darjeeling MLA Amar Singh Rai as a Trinamool-GJM coalition candidate may fall flat if the former GJM chief comes back.
"Gurung is still the leader in the hills. But he is out of the political equation due to legal issues. The case is going on in the Supreme Court. He will come back if the apex court grants him bail.
"He has been charged with a number of criminal cases but most of these cases are politically motivated. Now the Election Commission is here. So they might do something in this regard. If Gurung comes back, many political equations will change," ," Ghosh told reporters here.
Gurung, who headed the agitation for a separate state of Gorkhaland followed by a 104- day-long shutdown in the Darjeeling hills, has been on the run since August 2017 after the West Bengal CID charged him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the case of two separate bomb blasts in the hills within 24 hours and issued a lookout notice against him.
Making a veiled reference to Rai and the current GJM President Binay Tamang, Ghosh said people would not accept someone as their leader just because they are being projected by the state administration.
The BJP leader claimed there could be a major political change in the Darjeeling hills.
"There will be a major political change in the hills very soon. Many of the other political parties there have got in touch with us as they think only BJP can provide a stable administration. They do not want the politics of violence anymore," he said.
The Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat is currently held by BJP. Union Minister S.S. Alhuwalia is the sitting MP.