BJP Names Darjeeling Candidate; Replaces Union Minister SS Ahluwalia

Union minister S S Ahluwalia won a seat from Darjeeling in 2014

The BJP on Sunday named Raju Singh Bisht as its candidate from Darjeeling seat for the Lok Sabha polls in place of sitting lawmaker and Union minister S S Ahluwalia.

In a statement, the party said it has also received support from two local organisations, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and Gorkha Liberation Front.

BJP Gen Secy Kailash Vijayvargiya: Raju Singh Bisht to contest from Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. SS Ahluwalia in a letter to Amit Shah has expressed his inability to contest from Darjeeling. He has stated that he can contest from any other seat in West Bengal pic.twitter.com/IgpB7FM3uF

- ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2019

Leaders of the two Gorkha outfits met BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is in-charge of the BJP's affairs in West Bengal, it said, describing Mr Bisht as a young party leader.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has managed to win over a section of the Gorkha leadership and has been making a determined bid to wrest the hilly seat from the BJP.

The BJP has been winning the seat with support from these Gorkha parties.

Its leader Jaswant Singh had won from there in 2009 and Ahluwalia in 2014.