Six Interesting Facts About the Constituency Known as the “Queen of Hills” for Darjeeling Lok Sabha Election 2024

Formerly referred to as the “Queen of Hills,” Darjeeling is one of West Bengal’s 42 Lok Sabha seats. Darjeeling has played a pivotal role in the Gorkhaland Movement, contributing to its own political identity. There are seven assembly segments in the constituency: four are in the plains and three are in the hills. These include Matigara-Naxalbari, Siliguri, Phansidewa, Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, and Chopra. On April 19, Darjeeling will host the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. June 4 is when the votes will be tallied.

2019 RESULTS AND CANDIDATES FOR 2024
With 750,067 votes, BJP candidate Raju Bista was victorious in the 2019 Darjeeling Lok Sabha election.

The TMC has nominated Gopal Lama to contest the seat in the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, whereas the BJP has chosen the incumbent Bista.

Crucial Details Regarding the Darjeeling Constitution
Up until the 1980s, the Congress and CPM controlled the majority of the voters.
Due to the Gorkhaland movement of the 1980s, regional parties such as the GNLF rose to prominence and influenced voting patterns by focusing on the “identity issue” that affects Gorkhas.

Three straight victories for the BJP since 2009 have been attained, mostly with the help of GJM faction leader Bimal Gurung.

The most important issue, which has shaped coalitions and shifted votes toward parties seen to be sympathetic to their cause, has been the desire for Gorkhaland.

Voting patterns are greatly impacted by alliances and divisions within the GJM and other hill parties.

Voters are beginning to identify more with the “son of the soil” story, choosing local politicians over “outsiders.”

ESSENTIAL CONSTITUTION ISSUE
The main concerns of the Darjeeling constituency range from Gorkhaland to the aspirations of the tea workers.

Gorkhaland

In the Darjeeling hills, the desire for a breakaway state called Gorkhaland has been a significant political issue for many years. Tensions soared during a violent 100-day agitation in 2017, which unfortunately resulted in the deaths of 11 people. With support from the hills, the BJP has held the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat since 2009, offering a long-term solution to the problems facing the area. However, there haven’t been any tangible steps taken to keep this commitment. The formation of Gorkhaland and the separation of the state are vehemently opposed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the party now in power in West Bengal.

Lack of Water

Every day, Darjeeling requires 19.7 million gallons, or about 90 million litres, of water. But the municipality’s capacity is limited to 6.38 million gallons, or around 29 million liters. About 25% of the treated water is wasted due to leaky pipes, which contributes to this shortfall. The present water infrastructure is not enough to support the 15,000 people living there, having been erected between 1910 and 15 years ago. Due to massive illegal logging in the surrounding region, there has been a considerable decline in water levels at natural springs, which has made the issue worse lately.

Earthquakes and Soil Degradation

Landslides occur in different blocks at different intensities; Kurseong, Gorubathan, and portions of Bijanbari are particularly vulnerable. The ecological equilibrium has been upset by uncontrolled quarrying operations in the Tindharia area, the Lish and Gish basins, and rivers by causing excessive siltation, which also affects slope stability.

Activities related to coal mining and stone quarrying, especially those that take place under highways, have deteriorated the slopes and raised the possibility of landslides. This kind of action is considered to be the cause of a recent occurrence near Giddapahar.

The production of root crops like potatoes and ginger is another major offender. When these crops are harvested in September and October, during the monsoon season, the soil becomes more prone to erosion and landslides. In addition to creating slope instability, heavy vehicle traffic on hill roads increases the risk of landslides, particularly during the wet season.

Concerns of Tea Workers:

Two other very important problems in the constituency are the minimum wage and the closure of tea estates. The remnants of colonialism and underdevelopment may be seen in governmental regulations. The lives of those who work on tea farms are difficult.

Disturbances

When it comes to fighting pollution, Darjeeling has been disregarded by policymakers despite its significance in terms of geography, climate, and ecology. Concerns that Darjeeling would soon become a non-attainment city are expressed in 2024 research, which highlights the need for effective and ongoing air pollution monitoring stations to be established by Central and State pollution control bodies. The constituency’s tourist industry will be impacted by the rising pollution, which will subsequently have a disastrous influence on other elements like employment and inflation.

Infrastructure

About Rs 222.66 crores has been allotted by the Ministry of Health to improve the Darjeeling region’s healthcare infrastructure, including the construction of a Critical Care Hospital Block under the PM-ABHIM program. The incumbent Member of Parliament, Raju Bista, has pledged to turn existing hospitals into medical schools.

The central government has previously constructed thousands of homes in the area under the PM Awas Gramin program.

The work of Highway 717A, which would replace NH10 and connect Sikkim with the rest of India, has started. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) has also finished building a different route that runs from Damdim in Dooars to Alagar in Kalimpong. The Rs 8,000 crore Sevoke-Rangpo rail line project, which would connect Sikkim to the national railway network, is making headway. This will also be important for Siliguri.

Additionally, in order to improve its functioning as the only civilian airport in North Bengal, Bagdogra Airport is undertaking renovations valued at Rs 1800 crores, which include the building of new terminals and contemporary facilities.

WHO IS POSITIONED HERE?
Discontent among some Gorkha communities over their perceived failure to live up to commitments poses issues for the BJP. The party has also had defeats in municipal elections held in Darjeeling Municipality and Siliguri, as well as Bimal Gurung’s departure.

The TMC is attempting to take advantage of the BJP’s shortcomings by endorsing Anit Thapa’s BGPM, which is well-liked in the highlands. It’s also attempting to capitalize on the idea of being a “son of the soil.”

There isn’t much of the INDI alliance in the area.

How well the parties handle the Gorkha identity question and local issues might determine how things turn out.

VOTER INFOGRAPHY
As of the 2019 election, there were 1,600,564 registered voters in Darjeeling. Of them, about 50.7% of voters were men and 49.3% were women. Only 21% of voters (21 in 2019) identify as members of the third gender.

The literacy rate in the constituency is 68.14%. 16.8% of voters (or around 268,895 votes) belong to the Scheduled Caste, 19.4% are members of the STs, and 14.4% are Muslims.

About 66.2% of all voters—or 1,059,573—are from rural areas, while 33.8% are from urban areas.